Debbe Thompson

Dr. Debbe Thompson is a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine, where she leads the Debbe Thompson Lab within the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Houston, Texas. Her research focuses on preventing pediatric obesity and related chronic diseases by promoting healthy dietary and physical activity behaviors among youth and families.

• Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
• School: School of Medicine
• Department: USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center
• Academic Rank: Professor
• Emails: dit@bcm.edu, Chishinga.Callender@bcm.edu

Dr. Thompson employs a mixed-methods approach, combining surveys and in-depth qualitative interviews to explore personal, familial, and environmental influences on health behaviors. She uses co-design strategies to develop tailored digital interventions that reflect the needs and perspectives of youth and families.

Her research interests span pediatric obesity prevention, behavior change, digital health technologies, serious games, exergames, mobile health (mHealth), web-based interventions, and qualitative/mixed methods. She is particularly interested in leveraging digital media to overcome barriers of traditional in-person programs and enhance engagement.

Although specific publications are not listed in the provided text, her lab's work centers on innovative digital interventions such as online programs, text messaging, and avatar-based exergames, indicating strong interdisciplinary research at the intersection of nutrition, behavioral science, and technology.

• Research Mentorship Award, Professor Level, Baylor College of Medicine, 2018

Dr. Thompson is an active mentor for undergraduate students, graduate students, medical trainees, postdoctoral fellows, and early- to mid-career faculty in behavioral science and digital intervention development. She contributes to institutional mentorship through her role on the Faculty Mentoring Committee at the CNRC. The lab is involved in NIH- and USDA-funded research studies, including the Teen Talk Study and Super Chef, focusing on rural youth and low-income families, respectively. These projects highlight her commitment to health equity and community-engaged research. The lab operates within the state-of-the-art CNRC facility, which includes specialized labs, a metabolic kitchen, observation rooms, and support for clinical research.