Kelli’s research interests are focused primarily on physical activity and weight management and the behavioral prevention and treatment of obesity and related chronic diseases. Following her undergraduate education in Biology and Nutrition at Penn State University, Kelli spent time designing and implementing a Weight Management Program for a fitness center. It was from here that she decided to obtain her Master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of Georgia. It was here where she supervised the University’s Adult Fitness and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center and worked in the Diabetes Education Department at Athens Regional Medical Center assisting patients with cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and diabetes with exercise management of their disease through individual exercise prescription, educational lectures, and exercise classes.
After completing her Master’s degree, Kelli obtained her Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. This led her to a position at Structure House in North Carolina, a unique residential treatment center for individuals with overweight and obesity interested in behavioral weight loss and lifestyle change. She spent nearly two years teaching, training, and counseling those who struggled with obesity before moving back to Pittsburgh to obtain her PhD.
She now holds her PhD in Exercise Physiology, and teaches courses in behavior change/health coaching, obesity and chronic disease, and clinical exercise physiology. Her research interests include developing and investigating the most effective long-term treatments for obesity and weight control. She is currently working on yoga and mindfulness-based weight loss interventions aimed at improving long-term weight loss maintenance and associated outcomes.