Tiffany Stewart
Coates Endowed Professor
Behavior Technology Laboratory: Health, Performance, & Resilience
Dr. Stewart is the Coates Endowed Professor and the Director of the Behavior Technology Laboratory: Health Performance, & Resilience, at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and serves as a Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the CMPR.
The Behavior Technology Laboratory is dedicated to translational research - taking behavior change programs from bench to bedside. Dr. Stewart has spearheaded unique, large, multi-site studies that have included the development and deployment of novel technologies for behavior change in high performance populations, namely, military and athletes. The military population is not immune to struggles with weight management, nutrition, fitness and sleep, as well as comorbid health problems, and mental health and resilience. These struggles impact combat readiness and long-term health of Soldiers and their families. Military standards require Soldiers to be physically and mentally fit and below a maximal level of estimated fat. Some Soldiers use unhealthy means of weight loss and continue to fail tests, risking discharge. Healthy eating, exercise, sleep, and mental health habits of Soldiers, dependents, and veterans have become a key priority for the U.S. Army. Dr. Stewart has a 20-year ongoing collaboration with the Department of Defense on trials with Active Duty, Reserves, National Guard, and Veterans. This work includes studies examining the efficacy of technology-based programs for U.S. Army Soldiers and military families that incorporates behavioral training for sleep, nutrition, fitness, mental health, and resilience.
As part of this program of work, Dr. Stewart and her team, in collaboration with steering committee members from USARIEM, MOMRP, TATRC, and USAMRMC, developed the Army Healthy Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Training Headquarters (H.E.A.L.T.H.® program) for the U.S. Army. This program is a remote, Internet/Smartphone Application based program designed to aid Soldiers in meeting their body weight, fat, and physical fitness standards and to aid Soldiers and family members in maintaining healthy weight, nutrition, fitness, sleep, and overall mental health. As a result of this longstanding work, Dr. Stewart was invited to serve on various task forces in the Army, including the US Army Surgeon General’s task force (2014) for the Performance Triad (nutrition, fitness, sleep).
As part of the CMPR, Dr. Stewart is currently PI for two of the four premier projects including: Aim High and Four Pillars of Defense.
Areas of Expertise
- Disordered Eating, Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome (REDs)
- Weight Management, Obesity, Readiness, & Meeting Army Standards
- Behavioral Training including Nutrition, Fitness, Sleep, and Mind/Body Optimization
- Mental Resilience Training
- Military & Athlete Behavior Technology Development and Dissemination
