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Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia, EdD, RDN

Qualitative and Mixed Methods
Research Lab

Research with Rutgers

Contact
pr.puglia@shp.rutgers.edu

Faculty Profile

Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia, EdD, RDN

My scholarly mission is to understand and mitigate biopsychosocial impacts on health to reduce health inequities and to advance qualitative and mixed methods research. My clinical expertise is in pediatric nutrition, and my scholarly agenda focuses on participatory problem-solving approaches.

The drive to master qualitative and mixed methods research stems from an epistemological belief in constructivism, when adult learners, study participants, and team members actively construct solutions to address health issues.

This stems from studying health behavior change theory but mostly from my 20 years of experience as a registered dietitian in pediatric HIV nutrition practice in Newark, NJ, witnessing success when families co-produced solutions that fit their context. 

Keywords: pediatric nutrition, participatory research, qualitative and mixed methods, and social determinants of health.

Pamela Rothpletz-Pulia, Ed.D., RDN, Professor
Email: rothplpm@shp.rutgers.edu

Scott Parrot, Ph.D., Professor
Email: parrotja@shp.rutgers.edu

Yuane Jia, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Email: yj340@shp.rutgers.edu

Veronica Jones, Ph.D., CHES, Assistant Professor/County Agent
Email: jonesve@njaes.rutgers.edu

Arthur Nabi, MBA, BSN
Director of Health and Nutrition
Leaguers Head Start

Peichi Waite, Ed.D., Rutgers Arts and Health Research Lab Research Coordinator and Co-Investigator
Email: pw337@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Grant Funding 

Title: Dismantling the ‘Kids’ Food’ Archetype

Sponsor Agency: Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health

Brief Overview of Aims:  Children can eat the same healthy foods as adults, yet it is common to feed children ultra-processed “kids’ food.” Kids’ food is heavily marketed in cities with low-income and ethnoracial minority residents. This encourages diets with limited variety, which creates resistance to new food, ultimately increasing lifetime risks of obesity and chronic disease. To learn how to dismantle the kids’ food archetype, this project uses community participatory methods to assess the children’s food culture and environment in Newark and tests education about ultra-processed food with mothers of preschool-age children.

Total Dollar Amount: $107,000

Funding Period: January 2023 – December 2024

Professional Achievements

2023 – Rutgers University Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence

2022 – Rutgers School of Health Professions Gonfalonier Award

2021 – Present – Associate Editor, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

Selected Publications

  1. Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia, EdD, RD; Jade Smith, MS, RD; Chloe Pavuk, MS; Jana Leotta, MS; Kimberli Pike, DCN, RD, CSSD; Carolyn J. Presley, MD, MHS; Jessica Krok-Schoen, PhD, MA; Ashlea Braun, PhD, RD; Mary Kathryn Cohen, MS, RD, Gail T Rogers, MA; Kenneth Kwan Ho Chui, PhD; Fang Fang Zhang, MD, PhD; Colleen Spees, PhD, MEd, RD. A Theoretical Explanation for how a Nutrition Counseling and Medically Tailored Meal Delivery Program Benefitted Participants Living with Lung Cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer (2024) 32:428. DOI 10.1007/s00520-024-08616-x

  2. Nancy Rodriguez, Diana M. Gonzales-Pacheco, Laura D. Byham-Gray, Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia,
    Trauma-informed Care Training for Dietetic Interns Improves Attitudes Toward Women Who Have Experienced Trauma, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior,2023, ISSN 1499-4046,
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37921798/

  3. Rothpletz-Puglia, P. Brown, T, Peters, E., Thomas-Hawkins, C., Kaplan, J, Myslinksi, MJ, Parrot, JS, Byham-Gray, L., Functional Status and Engagement in Physical Activity among Maintenance Dialysis Patients: A Mixed Methods Study. Kidney Medicine. April 25, 2022 https://www.kidneymedicinejournal.org/article/S2590-0595(22)00083-8/fulltext

  4. Rothpletz-Puglia, P. Ryan, E, Jones, V, Eubanks, R, Ziegler, J, Sackey, J, Nabi A, Jia J, Byham-Gray, L.Family Systems Cultural and Resilience Dimensions to Consider in Nutrition Interventions: A Qualitative Study Exploring Preschoolers’ Eating and Physical Activity Routines During COVID-19. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, April 6, 2022. https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(22)00001-X/fulltext

  5. Rothpletz-Puglia, P, Fredericks, L, Patusco, R., Dreker, M, Ziegler, J., Position of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior: Healthful Food for Children is the Same as Adults, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 54, Issue 1, 2022, Pages 4-11,ISSN 1499-4046, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2021.09.007. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S14994046210081

Please reach out to Dr. Rothpletz-Puglia at pr.puglia@shp.rutgers.edu to learn more about her research or to get involved.

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