Dr. Kathleen Woolf focuses her work on the integrated role of nutrition and physical activity for lifelong health throughout the lifespan. For both individuals and populations, nutrition and physical activity contribute to overall quality of life and play major roles in protecting health and delaying the progression of disease. Hippocrates wrote: “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” Her research is multi-dimensional, involves human participants, and responds to key health and nutrition concerns of high priority in New York, the nation, and globally, supporting the current national dietary guidelines for nutrition (2010) and physical activity (2008). She has expertise in the assessment of nutrition and physical activity patterns (sedentary behaviors, physical inactivity, and physical activity) in healthy individuals (recreational/competitive athletes) and individuals with chronic disease (musculoskeletal, skin, & kidney disorders, obesity). Some of these studies have examined the health disparities experienced by individuals from different race and ethnic backgrounds, including Hispanic and Native American populations. She has designed and implemented randomized clinical intervention trials and is currently a co-investigator on a large Social Cognitive Theory-based behavioral intervention (diet, physical activity) using technology-based self-monitoring for patients with complex chronic disease.
Dr. Woolf has held leadership positions within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at the local, state, and national level. She is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine's Health and Fitness Journal. She has written a regular nutrition column for the USA Swimming magazine, SPLASH!, and has contributed to the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Topics in Clinical Nutrition, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Obesity, and Public Health Nutrition.
Dr. Woolf completed her bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition from Arizona State University and her dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She holds a master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of California, Los Angles and a PhD in Exercise Science from Arizona State University.
Selected Publications
- Colin CR, Lesser MNR, Lobene AJ, Wang J, Woolf K, LeDoux T. Establishing credibility of the registered dietitian through improved research literacy within evidence-based practice. Nutr Rev, in press, 2026.
- Xu F, Coiro J, Earp JE, Woolf K, Lund VK Delmonico M, Lofgren IE, Tutwiler S. Cardiovascular disease risk in middle aged and older US adults with obesity according to lifestyle and socioeconomic patterns. JAR Life, in press, 2026.
- Taren T, Bandsma R, Cantoral A, Chen C, Finck B Hanson C, Hu G, Kellow N, Holton K, Luo H, Miller J, Muscaritoli M, Na M, Novotny R, Raos-Lopez O, Ruz M, Woolf K. Commentary on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2026-2030. Nutr Rev, in press, 2026.
- *Burris JC, *Donnelly M, Woolf K. Diet quality is associated with Night Eating Syndrome in adult females: a cross-sectional study. Top Clin Nutr, in press, 2026.
- *Herbert S, Squires A, Gilligan C, Woolf K. The preferred intervention characteristics and acceptability of intuitive eating as a lifestyle approach for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a convergent mixed methods analysis. Womens Health. 2026;22:1-25. doi: 10.1177/17455057251414294.
- *Armstrong N, Xu F, Jones S, Ali A, Squires A, Woolf K. The association between lifestyle patterns and depression in United States emerging adults: a latent class analysis. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2025;29:1-23. doi: 10.1177/15598276251413147.
- *Burris JC, *Stroker V, *Fu Z, Woolf K. Feeding attitudes of fathers in the United States are associated with breastfeeding success: a cross-sectional study. Nutr Health. 2025;31(4):1747-1757. doi: 10.1177/02601060251320722.
- Oberlin DJ, Eubank JM, Kim H, Woolf K, Monroe-Lord L, Harrison EA, Brown C. Descriptive study of diet and food security of older adults across New York City boroughs: implications for cognitive decline. Am J Public Health Res. 2024;12(4):81-86. doi: 10.12691/ajphr-12-4-3.
- *Armstrong N, *Fu Z, Woolf K. The relationship between lifestyle behaviors and mental illness in women in college. Nutrients. 2024;16(14):2211. doi: 10.3390/nu16142211.
- *Herbert S, Woolf K. Moving beyond weight: a narrative review of the dietary and lifestyle management for reducing cardiometabolic risk in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Nutrients. 2023;15(24):5069. doi: 10.3390/nu15245069.
- *Berube LT, Deierlein AL, Woolf K, Messito MJ, Gross RS. Prenatal dietary patterns and associations with weight-related pregnancy outcomes in Hispanic women with low incomes. Child Obes. 2024;20(3):198-207. doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0227.
- St-Jules DE, Hu L, Woolf K, Wang C, Goldfarb DS, Katz SD, Popp C, Williams SK, Li H, Jagannathan R, Ogedegbe O, Kharmats AY, Sevick MA. An evaluation of alternative technology-supported counseling approaches to promote multiple lifestyle behavior changes in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. J Ren Nutr. 2023;33(1):35-44. doi: 10.1053/j.jrn.2022.05.006.
- *Prescott MP, Gilbride JA, Corcoran SP, Elbel B, Woolf K, Ofori RO, Schwartz AE. The relationship between school infrastructure and school nutrition program participation and policies in New York City. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):9649. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159649.
- Burris J, *Werner C, Woolf K. The relationship between dietary intake and dietary-focused lifestyle interventions on risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease in firefighters. Curr Nutr Rep. 2022;11(2):206-224. doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00406-3.
- Dogra S, Woolf K, Xia Y, Getz A, Newman JD, Slater J, Shah B. Long-term dietary and weight changes following a short-term dietary intervention study: EVADE CAD Trial follow-up. Coron Artery Dis. 2022;33(2):144-147. doi: 10.1097/MCA.0000000000001072.
- St-Jules DE, Woolf K, Goldfarb DS, Pompeii ML, Li H, Wang C, Mattoo A, Marcum ZA, Sevick MA. Feasibility and acceptability of mHealth interventions for managing hyperphosphatemia in patients undergoing hemodialysis. J Ren Nutr. 2021;31(4):403-410. doi: 10.1053/j.jrn.2020.07.009.
- Rubinfeld G, Driggin E, Woolf K, Slater J, Newman JD, Heffron S, Shah B. Factors associated with participation in a short-term dietary intervention study among patients with established coronary artery disease: insights from the EVADE CAD trial. Coron Artery Dis. 2021;32(3):258-260. doi: 10.1097/MCA.0000000000000925.
- Betts JA, Gonzalez JT, Burke LM, Close GL, Garthe I, James LJ, Jeukendrup AE, Morton JP, Nieman DC, Peeling P, Phillips SM, Stellingwerff T, van Loon LJC, Williams C, Woolf K, Maughan R, Atkinson G. PRESENT 2020: Text expanding on the checklist for proper reporting of evidence in sport and exercise nutrition trials. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2020;30(1):2-13. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2019-0326.