Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, has served as director of nutrition for WebMD and is a contributor to WebMD Magazine.

Zelman received one of the highest honors from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the 2016 Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Award, in recognition of a distinguished career and remarkable contributions to the dietetics profession. In 2007, the academy awarded Zelman the prestigious Media Excellence Award for her contribution and commitment to educating consumers about food and nutrition. The American Society for Nutrition named her the 2011 recipient of their Nutrition Science Media Award for outstanding science and nutrition journalism. In June, the Institute of Food Technologists awarded her with the 2012 Media Award for Excellence in Consumer Journalism. In 2014, Zelman was awarded the Distinguished Alumni award from Montclair State University.

Zelman has extensive media experience, including co-hosting a weekly radio program, 12 years as a national spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and numerous print and television appearances, including CNN, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. She is a contributing writer for books, including Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road, Healthy Eating for Babies and Toddlers, and A Harvest of Healing Foods.

Zelman has been a dietetic internship director at Ochsner Medical Institutions and assistant professor of nutrition at St. Mary's Dominican College, both in New Orleans. Zelman is active in local, state, and national dietetic associations. She was the director-at-large on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics board of directors for 3 years. She served as a trustee of the Georgia Dietetic Foundation and two terms as the Georgia delegate to the academy. She received her master's degree in public health from Tulane University and her Bachelor of Science from Montclair State University.

Zelman serves on the advisory board of Share our Strength, a nonprofit organization aimed at childhood hunger. She is a judge for the James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. She is a contributing editor for Food & Nutrition Magazine of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Zelman is a member of a network of communication leaders formed as part of Bayers Leaders Engaged in Advancing Dialogue (L.E.A.D.) initiative. She is an advisor for Vitafusion.

WebMD Biography