Dr. Jennifer Lemacks is the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Nursing and Health Professions and registered dietitian by trade. Her research is driven by a passion to reduce preventable chronic disease disparities in the Deep South through behavioral therapy targeting nutrition and physical activity behaviors. She has received ample training in community-based participatory research methods and health interventions. She has directed a project funded by the National Institutes of Health to explore how to utilize churches to deliver obesity management interventions to young to middle-aged African Americans in South Mississippi. She has also directed a youth mentorship and nutrition program focused on improving diet and social behaviors of 5th graders in the Mississippi Delta. She is currently managing a project funded by Mississippi INBRE, which established the Telenutrition Center in the state and focuses on identifying evidence-based strategies for obesity management among underserved populations in real-world settings.