Email

jmdave@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Pediatrics-Nutrition
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Member

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Austin Regional Campus
University of Texas School of Public Health
Austin, Texas

Faculty Affiliate

Kinder Institute of Urban Health, Rice University
Houston, Texas

Faculty Member

Biomedical Research Base Baylor Diabetes Research Center
Houston, Texas

Addresses

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Office)

Room: CNRC-2054
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Education

PhD from University Of South Carolina

08/2007 - Columbia, South Carolina United States

MS from University Of South Carolina

12/2004 - Columbia, South Carolina United States

Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine

12/2010 - Houston, Texas United States

BSc from SVT College of Home Science

12/2000 - Mumbai, India

Applied Nutrition

Graduate Certificate at SNDT University

05/2002 - Mumbai, India

Sports Science and Nutrition

Honors & Awards

2020/2021 TCH/BCM Young Investigator Award

Baylor College of Medicine (12/2020)

Associate Editor

BMC Public Health

Co-Guest Editor

The International Journal for Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH)

Special issue on Innovations in Children’s Diet-Related Behaviors (01/2020 - 11/2021)

AdHoc Reviewer

National Institute of Health

Professional Interests

• Health Disparities
• Obesity and Chronic Disease Prevention
• Food Assistance Programs
• Behavioral Nutrition
• Children and Families

Professional Statement

My research focuses on addressing health disparities as it relates to obesity and chronic disease prevention among children and parents from low-income, racial/ethnic minority populations through research, training and policy involvement. My research work can be placed in to three categories: food insecurity, hunger, and racial and economic disparities in diet; effects of food assistance programs on nutrition and health outcomes; and community-engaged approaches to population health including design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions in preschool, schools, and family- and community-based settings.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Chen TA, Reitzel LR, Obasi EM, Dave JM "Did school meal programs and SNAP participation improve diet quality of US children from low-income households: Evidence from NHANES 2013-2014?." Nutrients. 2021 October ; 13 (10): 3574. Pubmed PMID: 34684575
• Thompson D, Callender C, Velazquez D, Adera M, Dave JM, Olvera N, Chen TA, Goldsworthy N "Perspectives of Black/African American and Hispanic parents and children living in under-resourced communities regarding factors that influence food choices and decisions: A qualitative investigation." Children (Basel). 2021 March ; 8 (3): 236. Pubmed PMID: 33803630
• Alexis TD, Unruh D, Wang W, Dave JM, Miketinas DC, Chen TA, Moore CE "Implementation of a food scholarship program improves nutrient intake and dietary quality of college students." J Am Coll Health. 2020 December ; [Online ahead of print] : doi: 10.1080/07448481.2020.1848847. Pubmed PMID: 33320786
• Callender C, Velazquez D, Adera M, Dave JM, Olvera N, Chen TA, Alford S, Thompson D "How minority parents could help children develop healthy eating behaviors: Parent and child perspectives." Nutrients. 2020 December ; 12 (12): 3879. Pubmed PMID: 33353032

Memberships

American Society of Nutrition

International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Nutrition Society of India

American Public Health Association

Funding

Epidemiology of Childhood Diet and Obesity - #3092-51000-058-2S

(10/01/2019 - 09/30/2024) Grant funding from USDA/ARS

Co-Principal Investigator The goal of the project is to examine the rural-urban differences in and associations between food security status, food availability, participation in Federal nutrition assistance programs, dietary intake, and obesity among children.

Building capacity within Extension to enhance nutrition and physical activity program delivery among underserved population/community

(03/01/2018 - 09/30/2021) Grant funding from USDA/NIFA

Co-Principal Investigator The goal of this project is to help build capacity within PVAMU's Extension program to enhance the current nutrition and PA curriculum for youth from underserved communities using social media, for obesity prevention.

Exploring the socio-ecological implications of hydroponic farms in urban food deserts using community based participatory research - #2020-67023-31636

(09/01/2020 - 08/31/2022) Grant funding from USDA/NIFA

Principal Investigator The goal of this study is to explore the socio-ecological implications of offering hydroponic farming at food pantries, located in food deserts using an exploratory mixed methods research design and community based participatory research.

Modifying the Home Environment to Promote & Support Child Obesity Prevention - #P30-CA125123-09REV

(09/01/2020 - 08/31/2021) Grant funding from NIH/NCI

Co-Investigator The overarching goal of this research is to develop and implement a model for how the Community Outreach and Engagement Department at the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine works with community stakeholders and its researchers to adapt and plan for the implementation of Center-developed evidence based interventions to meet the needs of communities in its catchment area.

Languages

Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi