Dr. Mary Story is a distinguished scholar and leader in public health nutrition with a profound impact on child and adolescent nutrition policy and practice. She is currently Professor of Global Health, Family Medicine and Community Health, and Pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Duke in 2014, she held prominent positions at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, including Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs from 2011 to 2013. From January 2010 to June 2024, she served as Director for Academic Programs at the Duke Global Health Institute, shaping the next generation of global health researchers. With a PhD in nutrition science and credentials as a Registered Dietitian, Dr. Story has dedicated her career to addressing critical challenges in child nutrition and obesity prevention.
Dr. Story is a leading authority on child and adolescent nutrition and obesity prevention, with over 500 scientific publications that have shaped the field. Her research has primarily focused on nutrition and diet-related issues affecting low-income and minority youth and their families, addressing critical health disparities. She served as Principal Investigator for landmark NIH-funded studies including the Pathways study, a multi-site school-based obesity intervention for American Indian youth on seven reservations. She also led the Girls Health Enrichment Multi-Site Studies (GEMS), developing and evaluating an after-school obesity prevention program for African American girls ages 8 to 10. As Director of Healthy Eating Research since 2005, she has guided this Robert Wood Johnson Foundation national program supporting research on policy, systems, and environmental strategies to promote healthy eating among children.
In 2010, Dr. Story was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, recognizing her exceptional contributions to improving public health. She has served in influential advisory roles including the USDHHS/USDA 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and a six-year term on the National Academies' Food and Nutrition Board. Dr. Story was Co-Vice Chair of the National Academies' Roundtable on Obesity Solutions from 2013 to 2019, shaping national strategies to address the obesity epidemic. Her significant contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards including the 2019 Friends of Albert (Mickey) Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2024 President's Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition Lifetime Impact Award. Continuing her impactful work, Dr. Story remains dedicated to advancing research that promotes nutrition equity and prevents childhood obesity, particularly among vulnerable populations.
