Diane Cress

I am a Registered Dietitian, and hold a PhD in Nutrition and Food Science. I have worked as a clinical dietitian, as an educator, and as a researcher over the many years of my career. I joined the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University as an Assistant Professor in 2008. For nearly 20 years, my research program investigated the impact of endogenous DNA damage on aging. During these years we studied the impact of nutrition on DNA stability. Currently, I am working to further elucidate the impact of nutrition on population health and disease prevention. The distribution of resources in our food systems impact both hunger and climate. Reducing food waste and shifting dietary patterns are key actionable measures impacting hunger and climate that are of interest to me.

As a professor, I teach both in the classroom and in the community. In the classroom, I teach an upper level course covering the biochemistry of vitamins and minerals. Outside the classroom I create opportunities for students to work in the food community in Detroit. My goal is to get students engaged in these issues in hopes of growing a generation of young people excited about this work.