Sue Roberts, Senior Scientist and lead of the Energy Metabolism team has accepted an appointment at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, beginning in September, where she will serve as a Senior Associate Dean for Foundational Research.
Sue joined the HNRCA in 1986 and assumed her role as a Senior Scientist in 1998. She has also been on faculty at the Friedman School since 1994. Since 2018 Sue was also co-director of Tufts Institute for Global Obesity Research (TIGOR).
At Dartmouth’s School of Medicine, Sue will oversee strategic planning related to research and develop initiatives that promote research activities. She will also serve as a leader in developing and sustaining partnerships with Dartmouth Health and other schools at Dartmouth and will work closely with the Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research.
Sue’s research focus at the HNRCA was on diet, energy regulation, and obesity across the lifespan. As part of her work, she co-led a consortium of scientists to understand the physiology of the weight-reduced state and co-leads the International Weight Control Registry which is collaborating with scientists around the world to identify successful weight management practices in different cultures.
Roberts has conducted nutrition research in Brazil, China, Finland, France, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, India, Kuwait, and The Gambia. She has also developed a new food formulation for improving cognitive function in young children at risk of malnutrition and has begun to test an adapted version of the formulation for preventing cognitive decline in older adults.
Roberts has extensive experience teaching and mentoring diverse trainees. In addition to her regular teaching duties at Tufts, she trained and supervised a cadre of more than 100 health workers to implement high-quality clinical trials in Guinea-Bissau. Roberts developed a new initiative to support research training for promising young adults from overseas—to date, 11 young men and women from 7 countries have trained in her laboratory.
Sue’s last day at Tufts is September 15, although she will retain an adjunct appointment at the Friedman School after her departure. HNRCA Center Director Sarah Booth and Friedman School Dean Chris Economos will hold a farewell reception for Sue on September 6 at 3 p.m. on the HNRCA patio. Please join them to give Sue your best wishes as she pursues this new professional opportunity.