June Stevens

Dr. June Stevens is the AICR/WCRF Distinguished Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. She specializes in obesity epidemiology, focusing on obesity’s causes, consequences, and prevention, particularly regarding cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. Her work spans methodological advancements in study design, environmental measures, and body composition assessment.

Education:

• PhD in Human Nutrition, Cornell University, 1986
• Fellow in Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, 1987
• Fellow in Epidemiology, New England Epid Institute, 1992
• MA in Human Nutrition, Pennsylvania State University, 1978
• Registered Dietitian (RD), Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, 1975

Research Interests: Dr. Stevens examines obesity’s impact on chronic diseases and explores prevention strategies, including culturally tailored interventions for American Indian communities (e.g., the Pathways trial). She emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to address obesity’s sociocultural and environmental determinants, such as ethnicity, acculturation, and policy influences. Her methodological contributions include improving trial design, bias mitigation, and body composition measurement techniques.

Awards and Recognition:

• Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award (2018)
• Top News Story of 2014 by The Obesity Society
• Affiliate of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University (2013–present)
• Centrum Center Award (2012)

Grants and Collaborations: As PI, she secured over $32 million in research funding and collaborated on additional projects. Her work has informed policy and clinical practices through advisory roles at the NIH, CDC, Institute of Medicine, and WHO.

Practice Activities: Leads projects like the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research Coordinating Unit, advancing measurement tools and dietary phenotype research. She also developed percent body fat equations for U.S. populations.