Cynthia Klobodu, PhD, MPH, MBChB

Office Hours

Tuesdays 12-1 pm; Wednesday 1-3pm

Cynthia is a trained public health physician with a PhD in nutrition sciences. Her research interests focus on the intersection of nutrition and disease, with implications for public health policy and practice. She is particularly interested in fertility nutrition, global nutrition, women's wellness and maternal and child health.

Courses Taught

NFSC 100 Basic Human Nutrition

NFSC 440 Advanced Human Nutrition

NFSC 663 Public Health Nutrition

NFSC 644 Nutritional Genomics

Research Interests

My research focuses on improving the health and wellness of reproductive-aged women through evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle interventions. With a background as a trained public health physician with a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences, I seek to enhance female and maternal health by addressing gaps in clinical care where nutrition can serve as adjunctive therapy. My approach integrates both quantitative and qualitative methods, employing a formative process to develop interventions that consider the beliefs, behaviors, challenges, and needs of women and their families. 

Recently, my research has expanded to explore the role of nutrition and other lifestyle factors—such as physical activity—in managing diseases like metabolic syndrome. I am particularly interested in how these interventions can improve health outcomes among Hispanic adults and other minority populations. 

Current Projects

• The Fertility, Cancer, Nutrition and Diet (FECAND) Study
• The Comprehensive Lifestyle Intervention Program (CLIP) for Metabolic Syndrome
• Dietary Patterns and Quality of College Students and Influencing Factors, at Chico State
• Applying Trauma-Informed Nutrition Education to Improve Dietary Behavior and Self-Efficacy Among At-Risk High School Students

Publications 

1. Klobodu C., Vitolins V., Deutsch, J., Fisher K., Nasser J., Stott D., Murray M., Curtis L., Milliron BJ (2024). Augmenting fertility treatment for female cancer survivors with nutritional guidance: A narrative review. Current Developments in Nutrition, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102134
2. Klobodu C., Stott D., Chiarello L., Posmontier B., Geller P. A. & Milliron, B. J. (2023). Supporting optimal dietary behaviors in women with perinatal depression: A qualitative exploration of experiences, practices, and challenges. Nutrition and Health.   https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060231187986
3. Milliron BJ, Klobodu C, Deutsch J, Martyn K, Dychtwald D, Riahi E, Carro S, Hisek T, Darcy N, Klassen AC (2023). “Keep your chin up, and keep eating”: Perceptions of barriers and facilitators to healthful dietary behaviors among individuals with gastrointestinal cancer and caregivers. Cancer Control. https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748231208316
4. Klobodu, C., Vitolins, M., Deutsch, J., Fisher, K., Schwartz, V., Nasser, J., Stott, D. & Milliron, B. J. (2022). Optimizing fertility treatment with nutrition guidance: Exploring barriers to healthful nutrition among female cancer survivors with fertility challenges. Integrative Cancer Therapies. https://doi.org/10.1177/15347354231191984
5. Stott D., Klobodu C., Elogohail M., Chiarello L., Posmontier B., Geller P.A., Horowitz J., & Milliron B.J. (2022). Nutrition-Related Experiences of Women with Perinatal Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study." Journal of Patient Experience. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231199818. 
6. Deutsch J., Kerr L., Krick H., Sherman R., Milliron B.J., Stott D., Klobodu C., Kisher K. & DiMaria- Ghalili R.A. (2022). Ice cream therapy: designing a food alternative to oral liquid nutrition supplements. Experiencing and Envisioning Food: designing for change, DOI: 1201/9781003386858-8
7. Milliron, B. J., Packel, L., Dychtwald, D., Klobodu, C., Pontiggia, L., Ogbogu, O., ... & Deutsch, J. (2022). When Eating Becomes Torturous: Understanding Nutrition-Related Cancer Treatment Side Effects among Individuals with Cancer and Their Caregivers. Nutrients, 14(2), 356. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14020356
8. Milliron, B. J., Klobodu, C., Gunen, B., Bahruddinov, M., & Klassen, A. C. (2022). Household and Nutrition-Related Characteristics Associated with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Practices in Tajikistan. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2022.2150109
9. Dychtwald D, Kaimal G, Kilby, L M, Klobodu C & Milliron B J. (2021). “When a Father feels Excluded: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Role of Fathers in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 16(1), 1932026. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2021.1932026
10. Klobodu, C., Milliron, B. J., Agyabeng, K., Akweongo, P., & Adomah-Afari, A. (2020). Maternal birth preparedness and complication readiness in the Greater Accra region of Ghana: a cross-sectional study of two urban health facilities. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 20(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03263-6 
11. O’Mahony J., Brown N., Vitolins M., Appiah L., Bjornard K, & Klobodu C. The Fertility, Cancer, Nutrition, and Diet (FECAND) Study: Female Cancer Survivor and Health Care Provider Perspectives. Journal of Patient Experience. JPX-25-0215. Under Review.  
12. Klobodu C., Lull L., Valdivia-Perez G. & Bianco S. Beyond the Bedside: Acute Care Providers' Awareness of Food Insecurity and Available Resources. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. JNEB-D-25-00437. Under Review. 

Education

• BSc Human Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
• MBChB (MD equivalent), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
• MPH, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
• PhD Nutrition Sciences, Drexel University, PA