Scientific Advisory Panel

Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, FASN, FACN, CNS-S
Scientific Advisor
Jeffrey is a Professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University where he directs the Entrepreneurship Education Program. His research focuses on the role of antioxidant nutrients in promoting health and preventing disease as well as on novel methods for assessing dietary quality. Dr. Blumberg is dedicated to implementing sound nutrition science into public health policy and has served on committees with several leading agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Health Organization.
Kitty Broihier, MS, RD, LD
Kitty Broihier, MS, RD, LD
Scientific Advisor

Kitty is a member of the Guiding Stars Scientific Advisory Panel, a panel of experts in the fields of nutrition and public health, formed to develop a set of criteria which resulted in the design of a now patented algorithm used to analyze food products. Kitty is also a food and nutrition communications expert and the owner of NutriComm Inc., a marketing and communications company that services food manufacturers, trade groups and public relations firms nationwide.

Previously on the editorial staff at Good Housekeeping magazine, she has written many magazine articles and contributes regularly to a variety of publications and websites, including the Guiding Stars blog. Kitty is also the co-author of several cookbooks. A member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and several of the association’s practice groups, she served two terms of service as the president of the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Kitty is also an adjunct instructor in the nutrition department at Southern Maine Community College. A mother to two young adults, she resides in Lisbon, Maine with her husband.

Meet Kitty »

Read Kitty’s Articles »

Alison M. Duncan, PhD, RD
Scientific Advisor

Alison M. Duncan, PhD, RD is a Professor and Associate Director of Research at the Human Nutraceutical Research Unit (HNRU), in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (HHNS) at the University of Guelph. Following an undergraduate degree in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Guelph, she completed training to become a Registered Dietitian in Toronto, a M.Sc. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto and a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Minnesota. Her teaching is in the area of functional food and nutraceuticals, both at the undergraduate and graduate level and she currently coordinates the M.Sc. coursework program in HHNS at the University of Guelph. Her research interests relate to the biological effects of functional foods and nutraceuticals on chronic disease-related endpoints evaluated in human intervention studies, with a particular focus on the agri-food-health continuum including the role of soy in human health. Another research interest involves the use of functional foods and natural health products (prevalence, associated attitudes and beliefs) in healthy and clinical populations. Alison has served on grant review panels in the United States and Canada, reviews manuscripts for several journals on a regular basis and currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Nutrition. In 2005, she received the Young Canadian Innovator Award in Agriculture, Food and Human Health.

Leslie Fischer, PhD, MPH, RD
Scientific Advisor

Leslie Fischer was a faculty member in the Nutrition Department of the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina for over 16 years where she worked on nutrition-based clinical research trials, including studies on obesity and determining the daily requirements of the nutrient choline. Leslie’s area of expertise is in how nutrients and dietary interventions may enhance health and prevent disease. She also has keen knowledge on how dietary requirements and body weight are influenced by factors such as gender, menopausal status, and genetics. She is currently a co-founder of Nutrigenetics Specialists, a private dietetics practice focusing on genetics-based nutrition counseling. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Leslie graduated from the University of Georgia magna cum laude with honors in Genetics. She earned her PhD from Columbia University in Molecular and Developmental Biology and then received her MPH in Public Health Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kelley Fitzpatrick, M.Sc.
Scientific Advisor

Kelley Fitzpatrick is President of Manitoba-based NutriSciences Solutions. She has close to thirty years of expertise in functional food and natural health products (FFNHP) including in the areas of regulatory reviews and submissions; scientific and consumer presentations, bibliographies, newsletters and articles; due diligence and feasibility studies, business plans and market trend.  Her work has focused on building relationships between the agriculture, food and health sectors and promoting the health benefits of Canadian crop resources. Upon completion of an advanced degree in nutrition, she began a career focused on the development and marketing of healthy foods and dietary ingredients. Kelley has spent more than twenty years working with government agencies, trade associations, the media and industry. She is a frequent guest on talk shows, provides presentations on Canadian health products globally and publishes extensively on healthy foods and dietary supplements. Kelley has been instrumental in adapting the Guiding Stars nutrition rating algorithm to specifically meet the dietary standards of Canada.

Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH, MS
Scientific Advisor

Board-certified in both Internal and Preventive Medicine, and also with degrees in Public Health and Epidemiology Jeremy is a faculty member at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and also on the faculty of the Center for Primary Care at Harvard Medical School. In his roles at Harvard, he designs and evaluates healthcare delivery systems, with his work directed at improving health at both the individual and community levels. From helping patients change dietary habits and lifestyle behaviors to working with the medical profession and the community-at-large, Dr. Nobel is committed to making the healthcare system as patient-centered and effective as possible. Dr. Nobel graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University and received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania.