Barbara Fiese

Barbara Fiese serves as a Research Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois, with additional affiliation at the Center for Social & Behavioral Science. Her extensive research portfolio spans family psychology, child development, and nutritional science, with particular focus on family mealtime interactions and their impact on child development.

Dr. Fiese's research interests center on family routines, particularly family meals and their relationship to child obesity, family functioning, and preschooler development. Her work examines how family rituals and mealtime interactions influence cognitive development and nutritional outcomes in young children. The fingerprint analysis of her scholarly work reveals strong connections to family meals (100%), preschool children (64%), family routines (58%), and mealtime interactions (57%), demonstrating her specialized expertise in these areas.

Analysis of her recent publications shows consistent focus on longitudinal studies of family food environments, child nutrition patterns, and the impact of family context on early childhood development. Her work frequently employs transdisciplinary approaches, connecting family psychology with nutritional science and pediatric health outcomes.

Dr. Fiese has received significant recognition for her contributions to family psychology and systems research:

• AFTA Distinguished Contribution to Family Systems Research Award (2019)
• APA Distinguished Service Award (2015)
• Distinguished Contribution to Family Psychology Award (2016)

Her editorial service as Editor for the Journal of Family Psychology since 2015 demonstrates her leadership in the field. Her research has garnered substantial media attention, with findings on how poor diet and household chaos may impair young children's cognitive skills being picked up by 17 news outlets. Her work shows strong collaborative networks across multiple disciplines, particularly in family studies, nutrition, and child development.