Education

  • BS, Nutrition and Dietetics, Istanbul Medipol University, 2015
  • MS, Combined BS/MS in Nutritional Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, 2016
  • PhD, Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, 2022

Research Interests

Hanim Ecem Diktas, PhD, MS, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Ingestive Behavior, Weight Management & Health Promotion Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. She received her master’s degree from Istanbul Medipol University and her doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University. Her primary mentor is Dr. Corby Martin, and her research focuses on children’s eating behaviors, portion selection, and the development and validation of technology-based dietary assessment tools. She leads NIH-funded work, including an NICHD F32 fellowship (F32HD116537) applying machine learning and ecological momentary assessment to identify contextual predictors of children’s energy intake, and a pilot study validating a smartwatch-based eating detection system in child–parent dyads. Dr. Diktas contributed to the development and validation of the Food Noise Questionnaire, advancing the measurement of cognitive experiences related to food. She has published extensively on dietary assessment, eating behavior, and design of obesity intervention programs, and has received multiple national awards for her research.

Selected Publications

  1. Diktas, H.E., Lozano, P.C., Saha, S., Broyles, S.T., Apolzan, J.W., Martin, C.K., (2025). Validity of the PortionSize™ and MyFitnessPal© smartphone apps for estimating dietary intake: A randomized crossover clinical trial. Journal of Nutrition, 155(12), 4296-4306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.09.027 PMID: 41022156
  2. Diktas, H.E., Cardel, M.I., Foster, G.D., LeBlanc, M.M, Dickinson, L.S, Ables, E.M., Chen, X., Nathan, R., Shapiro D., Martin C.K. (2025) Development and validation of the Food Noise Questionnaire (FNQ). Obesity, 33(2), 289-297. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.24216 PMID: 39828656 PMCID: PMC11774004
  3. Woolf, E.* Diktas H.E.*, Acosta A., Apolzan J.W., Ard J.D., Boyle K.E., Gilbert J.A., Katzmarzyk P.T., Laurienti P.J., Lobstein T., Nicastro H.L., Ordovas J.M., Phelan S., Redman L.M., Roe B.E., Ryan D.H., Stephens J.M., Tate D.F., Apovian C.M., Martin C.K. (2025) Precision prevention, diagnostics, and treatment of obesity: pipedream or reality? Obesity, 33, 2029-2045. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70015 PMID: 40964812, *Co-first author
  4. Rolls, B.J., Cunningham, P.M., & Diktas, H.E. (2020). Properties of ultraprocessed foods that can drive excess intake. Nutrition Today, 55(3), 109-115. https://doi.org/10.1097/nt.0000000000000410
  5. Diktas, H.E., Lozano, P.C., Saha, S., Broyles, S.T., Martin, C.K., Apolzan, J.W. (2023) Evaluating the validity of the PortionSize™ smartphone app for estimating dietary intake in free-living conditions: A pilot study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 56(9), 643-652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2024.05.226 PMID: 38888538 PMCID: PMC11381165
  6. Diktas, H.E., Keller, K.L., Roe, L.S., & Rolls, B.J. (2022) Children’s portion selection is predicted by food liking and is related to intake in response to increased portions. The Journal of Nutrition, 152(10), 2287-2296. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxac162 PMID: 35883226 PMCID: PMC9535443
  7. Saha, S., Diktas, H. E., Lozano, C. P., Staiano, A. E., Broyles, S. T., Apolzan, J. W., & Martin, C. K. (2026). Validity of the PortionSize App for Assessing Children's Dietary Intake: Results From a Pilot Study Conducted in Controlled and Free‐Living Settings. Pediatric Obesity, 21(3), e70102. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.70102 PMID: 41807093 PMCID: PMC13077788.
  8. Roe, B. E., Diktas, H. E., Qi, D., Martin, C. K., & Apolzan, J. W. (2026). Households Provided Free Produce Require Intensive Intervention to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Reduce Plate Waste: A Randomized Trial. The Journal of Nutrition, 101403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101403 PMID: 41687785
  9. Smith, A., Azeem, M., Odhiambo, C.C., Diktas, H.E., Upton, S., Martin, C.K., Froeliger B., Corbett C.F., Valafar H. (2024) Toward Concurrent Identification of Human Activities with a Single Unifying Neural Network Classification: First Step. Sensors, 24(14), 4542; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24144542 PMID: 39065939 PMCID: PMC11281158
  10. Diktas, H.E., Roe, L.S., Keller, K.L., Sanchez, C.E., & Rolls, B.J. (2021). Promoting vegetable intake in preschool children: independent and combined effects of portion size and flavor enhancement. Appetite, 164, 105250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105250 PMID: 33836215 PMCID: PMC8206024

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