Dr. Nkechi Okpara
Academic Area
Nutrition and Dietetics
Dr. Nkechi Okpara is an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics. She earned her Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior from the University of South Carolina, where she worked on NIH-funded nutrition intervention and adult weight-management studies, including research with African American adults and communities in South Carolina. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in the Cardiovascular Behavioral Health program.
Her current scholarly interests center on experiential learning and professional development among college students. Dr. Okpara is passionate about mentoring students through hands-on research experiences and helping them develop as confident researchers, communicators, and professionals.
- Experiential learning among college students
- Professional development and career readiness
- Confidence and communication self-efficacy
- Professional identity and self-concept
- College student well-being
- Collegiate student-athlete development, well-being, and transition beyond sport
- Nutrition, weight management, and health-related research
Dr. Okpara is interested in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students through hands-on research experiences. Students may pursue feasible, student-driven research questions within nutrition, health, weight management, sports nutrition, psychosocial health, and related areas.
Research mentorship may include opportunities to develop skills in:
- Research question development and study design
- Literature review and critical appraisal
- Data collection and analysis
- Scientific writing
- Abstract and poster development
- Research presentations and public speaking
- Conference participation and scholarly dissemination
- Career and professional development
The goal of Dr. Okpara’s research mentorship is not only to help students gain research experience, but also to help them become confident communicators, researchers, and emerging professionals.
Dr. Okpara has a special interest in supporting Nutrition and Dietetics students as they transition from college into the nutrition and dietetics profession. She is particularly interested in helping students explore career pathways, build professional confidence and communication skills, develop their professional identities, and prepare for life and work beyond the classroom.
She also has a particular interest in collegiate student-athletes, including their development, psychological well-being, professional preparation, and transition from competitive sport into life and careers beyond athletics. Her broader scholarly interests include weight management and emerging approaches to obesity treatment.
Outside of academia, Dr. Okpara is a fiction writer with a passion for storytelling and creative expression.
