Be sure to take a look at the speaker bios and materials from 2013, 2016 and 2017 conferences.

Speakers 2014 (in speaking order)

• Dr. Nicola McKeown, Tuft’s University
• Dr. Andrew Ross, Oregon State University
• Dr. J. Bruce German, University of California, Davis
• Bob Moore, Founding CEO, Bob’s Red Mill
• Dr. Karen Chapman-Novakofski, University of Illnois, Urbana-Champaign
• Dr. Betty Izumi, Portland State University

Nicola McKeown, Ph.D.
Scientist II
Nutritional Epidemiology Program,
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Director of Nutritional Epidemiology Program and Associate Professor,
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health & Community Medicine
Tufts University
Boston, Mass.
Faculty Webpage

Presentation slides "Health Benefits of Whole Grains - the Newest Evidence" (pdf)

Dr. Nicola Mckeown is an international leader in the area of whole grains and health. Her current research includes the role of dietary carbohydrates and lifestyle factors in the development of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus; whole-grain intake in relation to weight gain, metabolic risk factors and insulin resistance in different populations; and dietary methodology for population studies and use of novel biomarkers (e.g. alkylresorcinols) to validate dietary intakes. She received her BS in Human Nutrition at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and her PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology from the University of Cambridge.

Andrew Ross, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Crop and Soil Science & Department of Food Science and Technology
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Ore.
Faculty Webpage

Presentation slides "Grains and Nutrition: A Cereal Scientist's Perspective of Cereal Starches, Fibers and of course, Gluten" (pdf)

Dr. Andrew Ross joined the faculty at Oregon State University in 2001. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Sydney and PhD from the University of New South Wales.

He is recognized as an international expert in the field of cereal quality as it affects the texture and other qualities of staple cereal foods. Currently, Dr. Ross is Vice Chair of the Pacific Northwest Wheat Quality Council.

He has been responsible for the quality profile of 12 new wheat varieties and one new food barley variety since arriving at OSU. Among these, ORSS1757 currently ranks in the top three highest quality soft-white winter wheat varieties in the Pacific Northwest in the 2012 USDA rankings.

J. Bruce German, PhD
Professor
Department of Food Science & Technology
Director, Foods for Health Institute
University of California, Davis
Director, International Milk Genomics Consortium
Davis, Calif.
Faculty Webpage

Presentation slides "Personalized Nutrition and Nutrigenomics – What it Means for Food" (pdf)

Dr. Bruce German has published extensively with more than 350 peer-reviewed publications. Currently, his research focuses on the role of fats and other components in the diet. He develops ways to assess health and metabolism in response to foods, and milk is the model he uses as a genetic blueprint for foods to support health. Milk evolves for the purpose of nourishing growing mammals, and this evolutionary logic is the basis of research to discover physical, functional and nutritional properties of milk components and to apply these properties as principles to foods. Dr. German received his BS in Biology & MS in Plant Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario; later receiving his PhD in food chemistry from Cornell University in 1984.

Bob Moore
Founding CEO
Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods
Milwaukie, OR

Presentation slides "Life Insurance You Eat. How to Make a Difference With Whole Grains" (pdf)

Bob’s wife, Charlee, always valued and provided whole grain foods for Bob and their three boys. This eating lifestyle, coupled with a chance reading in 1968 of a book about old stone grinding flour mills, started Bob Moore searching for usable stone mills from the 1800s. Bob was able to acquire several sets of millstones from an old North Carolina water-powered flour mill and set up the couple's first milling operation in Redding, Calif.

In 1978, Bob and Charlee moved to the Portland, Oregon, area to retire. Bob’s milling enthusiasm soon resurfaced. Together, they opened a one-of-a-kind business in an old mill building near historic Oregon City, stone grinding grains into flours and cereals and blending whole grain mixes for the Portland area.

The story of Bob’s Red Mill is one of continuous growth through the years. In 2007, the company moved to a larger facility – 325,000 square feet on 17 acres. The company now employs 320 full-time people working three shifts.  

On February 15, 2010 – Bob’s 81st birthday – he gave the company to his employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). An ESOP provides an orderly transition of ownership from the current owners to the employees and ensures that the company will enjoy continued operation by the same employees that helped it grow.

With roots in natural foods, the business has flourished across the United States where Bob's Red Mill products can be found in supermarket chains, specialty grocery stores and health and natural food stores. The products can also be found on store shelves in 71 countries around the world.

Karen Chapman-Novakofski, PhD, RD, LDN
Professor
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition,
Division of Nutritional Science,
Department of Internal Medicine
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Ill.
Faculty Webpage

Presentation slides "Nutrition and Healthy Aging" (pdf)

Dr. Karen Chapman-Novakofski is Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior and earned her BS in Dietetics from the University of Illinois, MS in Dietetics from Eastern Illinois and PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois. Dr. Chapman-Novakofski has been honored with many awards, among them the Mid-Career Award in Nutrition Education from the Society for Nutrition Education, as well as the American Society of Nutrition Excellence in Nutrition Education Award in 2013.

Dr. Chapman-Novakofski's research interests focus on identifying and changing food habits. She uses needs assessment, theoretical-based program development and outcomes or impact evaluation in all nutrition education interventions. Using behavioral theories, her interventions have included reducing cardiovascular disease risk in women and in Hispanic low-income groups, as well as identifying modifiable beliefs women have about calcium and osteoporosis and improving diabetes care knowledge through a statewide program.

Betty Izumi, PhD, RD, MPH
Assistant Professor
College of Urban and Public Affairs
Portland State University
Portland, Ore.
Faculty Webpage

Presentation slides "Closer to Home: A Food Systems Approach to Promoting Nutrition and Health Equity" (pdf)

Dr. Betty Izumi completed both her RD and MPH at the University of California, Berkeley and her PhD in Community, Food, Agriculture at Michigan State University. Before teaching at PSU she was a Research Fellow at the Kellogg Health Scholars Program at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She was also an Assistant Professor for Extension Family and Community Development, Department of Nutrition and Food Management at Oregon State University Extension Service.

Dr. Izumi ‘s research centers around her interests in sustainability, nutrition, the built environment, community-based food systems, health disparities and community-based participatory research.