Patrice Hubert

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources – Nutrition

Research Project: Investigating the chokeberry polyphenol antioxidant and its impact on bone loss.

Patrice Hubert didn’t realize how much she would enjoy research until she was forced to take part in it the spring semester of her senior year.

“It was only four weeks long,” she says of that research experience, part of UConn’s undergraduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics, “but it proved to be a turning point for me.”

Now a Ph.D. candidate in nutritional science, Patrice is currently conducting research on prevention of bone loss. Specifically, she is investigating the chokeberry’s bone-protective effects in former smokers.

A Dean’s List student who describes herself as shy, Patrice earned her B.S. in dietetics last year, graduating cum laude as the only minority student in her program. She became a registered dietician and served as a per diem dietitian at UConn Health Center’s John Dempsey Hospital over the summer. As an undergrad, she also completed internships in other area health centers, as well as with community programs like WIC and Foodshare.

In addition to her doctoral research, Patrice is a lector at her church and a dietitian for the YMCA in her hometown of Bloomfield, CT, where she enjoys teaching youth about nutrition. Her hobbies include shopping (she jokingly calls it an addiction) and working out (she plans to enter a bikini fitness competition one of these days). To unwind and de-stress, she enjoys an occasional trip to the spa.

After earning her Ph.D., Patrice plans to pursue a series of post docs to find her niche. She would like to remain in academia, teaching and conducting research. She also hopes one day to run her own nutrition practice.

Biography done by Cathleen Torrisi