Nutrition Steps - A free, open-access course in diet & nutritionAbout the Instructor
Dr. Stefano Vendrame graduated with highest honors from the University of Milan in 2005 with a B.S. in Food Science; and in 2007 with a M.S. in Human Nutrition, subsequently obtaining Italian State licensure to practice the profession of dietitian. In May 2014, he received a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition from the University of Maine with the dissertation “The effects of dietary wild blueberry on inflammation, lipid metabolism and endothelial function in a model of metabolic syndrome: a nutrigenomics approach”.
In 2008, he worked at the European Commission in Brussels both at the Health and Consumer Directorate General (DG SANCO) and the Education and Culture Directorate General (DG EAC), where he contributed to review the current legislation on food additives, and he was elected board member of the Association of Interns of the European Commission.
In June 2009, he received a research fellowship from the Cariplo Foundation to collaborate on the project “Use of biosensors within a multidisciplinary approach for the study of degenerative disease prevention through diet”, working both in Italy at the University of Milan and in the United States as affiliate faculty member at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
In December 2009, he was recipient of the SINU Outstanding Research Award, awarded by the Italian Society of Human Nutrition at the 34th National Congress of the Society.
Since 2010, he is member of the the Fulbright Alumni International Exchange Organization, and received a grant from the U.S. - Italy Fulbright Commission, co-sponsored by the United States Department of State and the Italian Foreign Ministry, to conduct research and teaching activity at the University of Maine in the area of food science and human nutrition. In 2013, he was recipient of the Fred Griffee Memorial Award for outstanding achievements in research, awarded by the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture of the University of Maine.
In November 2011, he founded and managed a non for profit website (www.spaziosfera.com) in Italian language providing open access, public domain resources for nutrition education and dissemination of nutrition information to the general public, both in the form of written articles and video podcasts.
In March 2012, he was selected by the American Society for Nutrition to write on the Society’s website about nutrition research, advances in the field, and topics discussed in the media.
Stefano Vendrame is member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Chapter 1; of the Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society, Alpha-Beta Chapter for the disciplines of food science/human nutrition and human development/family studies; of the American Society for Nutrition, of the Fulbright Alumni International Exchange Organization and of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition.