Donna Spruijt-Metz, Ph.D.

Dr. Donna Spruijt-Metz is Associate Professor of Research at the Keck School of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine. Her research focuses on pediatric obesity.

Current studies include a longitudinal study of the impact of puberty on insulin dynamics, mood and physical activity in African American and Latina girls (Spruijt-Metz. PI), funded by NCI as part of the USC C-TREC (Center for Trandisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer)(Goran and Bernstein, Center CO-PIs) - one of four TREC centers nationwide.

A recently completed pilot study looked at the acute impact of simple carbohydrate versus complex carbohydrate meals on behavior, insulin dynamics, select gut peptides, and psychosocial measures in our unique observation laboratory. This study yielded some of the first empirical evidence for the sugar rush, and a full-scale version of this study was funded (Spruijt-Metz, PI) as part of our NCHMD-funded Minority Health Center (Goran, PI).

She also heads the KNOWME Networks project in collaboration with Drs Narayanan, Urbashi, Annavaram, Sukhatme and Medvidovic from the Viterbi School of Engineering, funded by NCHMD. The KNOWME Network is a suite of wearable, wireless sensors (a Wireless Body Area Network or WBAN) that is being developed specifically for youth for non-intrusive monitoring of metabolic health, vital signs such as heart rate and stress levels, and physical activity and other obesity-related behaviors. KNOWME Network will allow for immediate, real-time feedback through the phone display and through text messaging, image and voice tags. Dr. Spruijt-Metz envisions a new generation of adaptive, personalized interventions using KNOWME Networks for real-time monitoring, immediate data delivery and rapid adaptive intervention response.

Dr. Spruijt-Metz holds master's degrees in Flute performance and teaching from California Institute of the Arts and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, a masters degree in Creative Writing from Otis College of Art and Design, a masters degree in research methods from the University of Amsterdam and a Ph.D. in adolescent health from the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. Before her re-immigration to the United States, she held a tenured position at the Department of Medical Ethics at the Vrije Universitiet Amsterdam, where she studied public health ethics and adolescent obesity-related behaviors. She is also a professional flutist, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Dutch National Flute Association.