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Mark Kern, PhD, RD

Professor of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences
San Diego State University
San Diego, California, United States

Dr. Kern came to SDSU in 1995 as the first foods and nutrition faculty to be hired after the PE and foods and nutrition faculty merged to form ENS. He was selected as an individual who could bridge both fields of School and started the job within 2 weeks of completing an interdepartmental PhD in Foods and Nutrition along with Health, Kinesiology and Leisure Studies at Purdue University and his dietetic internship at Ball Memorial Hospital. He earned his BS and MS degrees in Nutrition Science at Indiana University. His research involves two primary areas: 1) how diet and exercise independently and interactively influence lipid, energy, bone and calcium metabolism as well as appetite and adiposity and 2) sports dietetics. One of his key focuses is on the effects of minimally processed foods such as fruits, dried fruits, nuts, honey, agave nectar, and sports foods on metabolism, risk factors for chronic diseases, and exercise performance. His research has been funded by the USDA, NIH, California Almond Board, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, American Pistachio Growers, California Prune Board, Wild Blueberry Association of North America, American Heart Association, National Honey Board, California Raisin Marketing Board and others. He regularly presents his research at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition and American College of Sports Medicine and publishes his findings in well-regarded peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Kern teaches Nutrition for Athletes and Fundamentals of Nutrition. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of SCAN’s PULSE a publication of the Sport, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group for 18 years and received the 2021 SCAN Achievement Award.

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