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Lead Scientist, Food and Nutrition Research
MAFCL, USDA-ARS
Pamela Ruth Pehrsson is an expert in the field of nutrition and food chemistry. She has a PhD and MS in Nutrition (University of Maryland) and has worked with US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for over 35 years, conducting food composition and nutrition research and database development. Pamela served as Research Leader of the Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), ARS-USDA and now serves as Lead Scientist for the Food and Nutrition Research, Methods and Application of Food Composition Lab, BHNRC, ARS-USDA. Her current projects include: planning and implementing research data for USDA’s FoodData Central (FDC) - the authoritative food composition database system in the US - and related nutrition research; development of iodine data in foods and dietary supplements and estimates of US intake; the NIH-USDA Dietary Supplement Database and related research; the Human Milk Composition Initiative; research on carbohydrates in foods and impact of processing and cooking; and indigenous foods in the diets of American Indians/Alaska Natives. She has authored over 100 papers and presented on food sampling plans and analysis, USDA food composition databases, and research on the above topics, collaborating with colleagues nationally and internationally. She is a member of the CODEX Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses Delegation, NORAMFOODS - INFOODS, and ASN, among other organizations. She also served as Co-Executive Secretary on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and has taught courses on development of food composition databases.