Nancy E. Sherwood, PhD is a Research Investigator with HealthPartners Research Foundation (HPRF) and Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She holds a BS degree from Cornell University in Human Development and Family Studies, and MA and PhD degrees in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University. Dr. Sherwood leads the obesity research group at HPRF, under sub-contract with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)-funded Minnesota Obesity Center (Principal Investigator, Al Levine, PhD) and is co-chair of the HMO Research Network Obesity Special Interest Group. For the past 10 years, Dr. Sherwood’s work has focused on developing and evaluating interventions to both prevent and treat obesity among children, adolescents and adults.

In addition to serving as Principal Investigator of the Keep It Off Study, Dr. Sherwood is Principal Investigator of the Healthy Homes/Healthy Kids study, funded through the National Cancer Institute’s Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) pilot and feasibility program. This study is evaluating the feasibility of an unhealthy weight gain prevention intervention initiated by primary care physicians and followed up with telephone counseling support in two health plans, one in Minneapolis and one in Seattle. Dr. Sherwood also directs the intervention as co-investigator along with Drs. Martinson (Principal Investigator), Pronk, and Crain on a National Institute on Aging funded randomized trial of a physical activity maintenance intervention among adult health plan members ages 50-70, Keep Active Minnesota.