Biography

Dr. Nobuko Hongu is an Associate Professor, Nutrition and Physical Activity Extension Specialist in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Arizona. Her role as an Extension Specialist is conducting applied research and non-formal educational programs, which are carried out off-campus, non-credit education formats in her areas of expertise, i.e. nutrition, obesity prevention, and physical activity enhancement. In her community programs she partners with state and county faculty members, and statewide clientele. In her ongoing research projects she develops, disseminates, and evaluates community-based nutrition and physical activity programs. She uses community-based participatory research strategies to improve eating habits and enhance physical activity, especially among low-income families. She is also interested in dietary and physical activity assessments usingpopular mobile technologies (e.g., GPS, mobile phones, text messaging). Dr. Hongu received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Mukogawa Women’s University, Japan, Master of Art in Education with an emphasis on exercise physiology from the University of Akron, Ohio, and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences with an emphasis on fat metabolism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She completed a 4-year postdoctoral fellowship at Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, where she designed and investigated the effects of dietary supplement on lipid profiles, oxidative stress and inflammation during energy restriction in overweight and obese adults.