Karen Chapman-Novakofski, PhD, RD
Editor-in-Chief
Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, Division of Nutritional Sciences; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Illinois at Urban Urbana-Champaign and Illinois Extension Service
Karen Chapman-Novakofski earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), her master's degree from Eastern Illinois University, and her doctorate from UIUC. She completed her dietetic internship at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, was a dietitian at the VA Medical Center in Danville, Illinois. for 11 years, and has been at UIUC in the College of Medicine since 1983 and in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Division of Nutritional Sciences since 1991.
Dr. Chapman-Novakofski has over 300 abstracts/proceedings/journal publications, most addressing some aspect of geriatric nutrition or nutrition education. Much of her nutrition education research focuses on preventing obesity, diabetes, and osteoporosis. She has also authored three education manuals for geriatric nutrition, more than 100 extension and outreach publications, two continuously used newsletters, and ten book chapters. Also a noted speaker, she has been invited to speak at many local, national, and international meetings.
Dr. Chapman-Novakofski has been honored with many awards including the Mid-Career Award in Nutrition Education from the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior; the Innovative or Outstanding Team Program Award from Illinois Extension Service, in recognition of a community-based diabetes education program; the Outstanding Research Paper Award from the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group; the Distinguished Service Award from the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics Healthy Aging Practice Group; two College teaching awards, a College Global Impact award and an Extension award; the Abbott Award for Women's Health and the Medallion Award for lifetime achievement from the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics; and the Excellence in Nutrition Education award from the American Society for Nutrition.
In addition to being a Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior member, Dr. Chapman-Novakofski is a member of the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics and a past member of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences. She has served in a leadership capacity to all three organizations as well as for the National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the Institute of Medicine. Prior to becoming the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, she was an Associate Editor, having also served on the Board of Editors for the journal. She continues to be an ad hoc reviewer for many journals.
Karen is married to Jan Novakofski, a professor of Animal Sciences and Vice Chancellor for Compliance at UIUC, and has two children and three grandchildren. They enjoy cooking and gardening, visiting art museums and zoos, and refinishing furniture. Karen also enjoys traveling, especially if she has the opportunity to fish or snorkel.
