Natalie S. The

Natalie S. The is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Sciences at Furman University. She holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University, and a B.S. from Furman University. Her research focuses on obesity prevention, nutritional epidemiology, and diabetes complications in youth. She has conducted studies on diet quality, arterial stiffness, and glycemic control in type 1 diabetes, and contributed to policy initiatives like LiveWell Greenville’s At School Project to reduce childhood obesity through school nutrition policies.

Her research explores associations between nutritional factors and cardiovascular, retinal, and kidney complications in youth with diabetes. Notable contributions include investigating breastfeeding’s impact on insulin sensitivity and the role of Mediterranean diets in glycemic control. She has also examined sociodemographic influences on adiposity trends and vitamin D insufficiency in diabetes.

Dr. The has published extensively in journals like the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Diabetes Care, and Pediatric Diabetes. Her work highlights the intersection of nutrition, public health, and chronic disease prevention, with a focus on mitigating disparities in minority groups.

Her professional activities include leadership roles at Furman, including mentoring students and advancing health sciences education. She collaborates with institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, contributing to both clinical and public health research.