My research focuses on developing community-based nutrition and wellness interventions to prevent and manage chronic disease and improve family caregiver health, with a focus on understudied populations and cancer survivorship. While I have a broad background in obesity prevention and management, my current research explores the ways in which nutrition, wellness and healing behaviors promote healthy disease survivorship and caregiver health. My research also focuses on designing better nutrition programs by improving our understanding of how people’s interactions with their environment affect their nutrition-related behaviors.

I use a variety of assessment techniques and collaborate across disciplines so that I can most effectively study the relationship between nutrition, wellness and healthy disease survivorship. In particular, I:

• Apply a community-based participatory approach to inform the development of supportive health intervention programs;
• Employ quantitative and qualitative methods to answer key research questions
• Emphasize dietary quality and dietary diversity; and
• Engage family caregivers, because they are an important component of healthy survivorship, and because family members themselves are a high-risk population.

As a teacher, I am passionate about training the next generation of nutrition scientists both through mentorship and the undergraduate and graduate-level courses I currently teach. Within the academy, my service focuses on academic affairs and community engagement. Outside the academy, I’m devoted to civic engagement, especially efforts that focus on improving the physical and emotional health of individuals by helping them increase their connection with nature.

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Professional Society

Association for the Study of Food and Society
International Society for Horticulture Science
Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer
American College of Lifestyle Medicine
American Horticulture Therapy Association
American Public Health Association
Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior

Selected Publications

Packel L, Dychtwald DK, Pontiggia L, Deutsch J, Milliron BJ. Physical activity and nutrition-related beliefs, behaviors, and challenges in individuals living with cancer and their caregivers. Rehabilitation Oncology. In press.

Milliron BJ, Ward D, Granche J, Stott D, Mensinger J, Chenault MC, Montalto F, Ellis EV. Nature relatedness is associated with higher dietary diversity and fruit and vegetable intake. American Journal of Health Promotion. April 5, 2022.

Milliron BJ, Klobodu C, Dychtwald D, Packel L, Pontiggia L, Deutsch J. When eating becomes torturous: Understanding nutrition-related cancer treatment side effects among individuals with cancer and their caregivers. Nutrients. 2022;14(2):356.

Milliron BJ, Zegans M, Deutsch J. Creating a more powerful framework for healthcare promotion, research, and teaching: An Eco-biopsychosocial Model. Acta Horticulturae. 2021;1330.

Dychtwald DK, Kaimal G, Kilby L, Klobodu C, Milliron BJ. “When a Father Feels Excluded”: A qualitative study exploring the role of fathers in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Health and Wellbeing. 2021;16(1):1932026.

Grant participation:

Sharing digital self-monitoring data with others to enhance long-term weight loss: A randomized trial using a factorial design. (PI: Butryn). NIH/NIDDK, 2021-2026.

Obesity weight loss phenotypes in kidney disease. (PI: Harhay). Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (CRIC) Opportunity Pool Program, 2021-2022.

Optimizing an mHealth Intervention to Change Food Purchasing Behaviors for Cancer Prevention. (PI: Butryn). NIH/NCI, 2020-2022.

Identifying Healthy and High-Risk Weight Loss Phenotypes to Optimize Obesity Management in End Stage Kidney Disease. (PI: Harhay). NIH/NIDDK, $1,421,103, 2020-2025.

Ice Cream Therapy: Functional Ice Cream Alternative to Oral Nutrition Supplements. (PI: Deutsch). Drexel University Coulter Translational Research, $165,000, 2020-2021.

Reduced Sodium R & D and Industry Feedback. (PI: Deutsch). City of Philadelphia, Department of Public Health. Get Healthy Philly/Division of Chronic Disease Prevention, 2019-2022.

Nutrition-Related Beliefs, Behaviors and Needs of Women with Perinatal Depression. (PI: Milliron). Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Dean’s Rapid Response Relevant (R3) Grant, 2020-2021.

Feasibility of the Enhanced Tobacco Intervention Protocol (ETIP) to Reduce Smoking and Alter the Tumor Microenvironment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. (PI: Zibelli). Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Transdisciplinary Integrated Population Science Pilot Project Grants program, 2019-2021.

Immunization and Factors Influencing Vaccine Hesitancy in Tajikistan. (PI: Klassen). United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2018-2019.

Optimizing Healthful Nutrition of Cancer Caregivers and Survivors. (PI: Milliron). Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Transdisciplinary Integrated Population Science Pilot Project Grants program, 2018-2020.

Physical Activity and Nutrition Needs of Cancer Patients and Caregivers. (Co-PIs: Milliron and Packel). Pennsylvania Department of Health, 2017-2020.

Heart Healthy Cooking Lab: Youth exploring wellness through cooking and gardening. (PI: Milliron). Drexel University, College of Nursing and Health Professions, 2017-2018.

Green City, Clean Water: Cultivating the land to replenish the river and nourish the community. (PI: Ellis). William Penn Foundation, 2016-2017.

Formative Research on Infant and Young Child Feeding and Maternal Nutrition in Tajikistan. (PI: Klassen). United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2015-2016.

Implementation Support for Food Procurement Standards. (Co-PIs: Deutsch and Milliron). Department of Public Health, City of Philadelphia, 2015-2016.

SOL Food: Youth Leading the Way to a More Just and Sustainable Food System. (PI: Milliron). Urban Sustainable Institute, Drexel University, 2014-2016.

Philly Play Evaluation. (PI: Volpe). Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Inc., 2014-2015.

Co-Investigator, Developing the Mobile Edible Educational Trailer for Garden-Based Education in 4th and 5th Grades. (PI: Brennan). North Carolina Cooperative Extension Program, 2012-2013.

The Effects of a Point-of-Purchase Intervention Featuring In-Person Supermarket Education. (PI: Milliron). Arizona State University, 2009-2010.

Optimizing an mHealth Intervention to Change Food Purchasing Behaviors for Cancer Prevention. (PI: Butryn). NIH/NCI, 2020-2022.

Identifying Healthy and High-Risk Weight Loss Phenotypes to Optimize Obesity Management in End Stage Kidney Disease. (PI: Harhay). NIH/NIDDK, 2020-2025.

Ice Cream Therapy: Functional Ice Cream Alternative to Oral Nutrition Supplements. (PI: Deutsch). Couter Foundation, 2020-2021.

Reduced Sodium R & D and Industry Feedback. (PI: Deutsch). City of Philadelphia, Department of Public Health. Get Healthy Philly/Division of Chronic Disease Prevention, 2019-2020.

Strategies for Healthy Brain Aging: Food for Thought. (PI: Fisher). Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Cell to Society Grant, 2020-2021.

Nutrition-Related Beliefs, Behaviors and Needs of Women with Perinatal Depression. (PI: Milliron). Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Dean’s Rapid Response Relevant (R3) Grant, 2020-2021.

Feasibility of the Enhanced Tobacco Intervention Protocol (ETIP) to Reduce Smoking and Alter the Tumor Microenvironment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. (PI: Zibelli). Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Transdisciplinary Integrated Population Science Pilot Project Grants program, 2019-2021.

Co-Investigator, Immunization and Factors Influencing Vaccine Hesitancy in Tajikistan. (PI: Klassen). United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2018-2019.

Optimizing Healthful Nutrition of Cancer Caregivers and Survivors. (PI: Milliron). Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Transdisciplinary Integrated Population Science Pilot Project Grants program, 2018-2020.

Physical Activity and Nutrition Needs of Cancer Patients and Caregivers. (PIs: Packel, Milliron). Pennsylvania Department of Health, 2017-2020.

Heart Healthy Cooking Lab: Youth exploring wellness through cooking and gardening. (PI: MIlliron). Drexel University, College of Nursing and Health Professions, 2017-2018. Green City, Clean Water: Cultivating the land to replenish the river and nourish the community. (PI; Ellis). William Penn Foundation, 2016-2017. Co-Investigator, Formative Research on Infant and Young Child Feeding and Maternal Nutrition in Tajikistan. (PI: Klassen). United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2015-2016.

Research Interests

Cancer survivorship, nutrition, caregiver health, cancer prevention, global nutrition, maternal and child health, nutrition environment

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Wake Forest School of Medicine, 2010-13, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship,
Cancer Prevention & Control, National Cancer Institute (R25 CA122061-05)

Arizona State University, 2007-10, PhD, Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness

Arizona State University, 2003-05, MS, Human Nutrition

University of Colorado at Boulder, 1998-2001, BS, Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology