“Badger Talks” with Beth Olson, PhD

 

Dr. Olson is a distinguished Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Recently, she took the stage at three different events across Wisconsin to present valuable information regarding healthy dieting, breastfeeding, and the nutritional significance of dairy. As a native of Wisconsin, she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from UW-Madison, and her MS and PhD from the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Olson began her career at The Kellogg Company, working in global research & development, followed by a position as a Director in nutrition marketing for Kellogg USA. With her return to academia, she has spent the past 20 years in community-based nutrition research and programs. Her research has focused on the support for new parents to breastfeed their infants, especially low-income and working parents. She has developed nutrition education for families to support healthy choices during pregnancy and the first year of infant feeding.

Olson presented her research through “Badger Talks”, a program that brings UW faculty, staff, and graduate students together to spark ideas and conversations on topics that are important to the Wisconsin Community. On September 23rd, 2023, Dr. Olson presented at the “AAUW Women’s Expo- Women Helping Women: Career, Family, and Health” event. She gave influential and knowledgeable nutritional advice through her talk titled “What is a healthy diet? Carbs, protein, or fat?!”

“Beth presented an excellent talk! I liked the fact that her presentation had realistic, attainable steps to improving our nutrition and trusted resources to gain information on diet!” – Audience Member of AAUW event.

On October 10th, 2023, Dr. Olson spoke at the 53rd annual Wisconsin Perinatal Conference for the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care. She utilized her expertise in the field of breastfeeding with her speech titled, “Employment and other barriers to breastfeeding/chestfeeding: Who is most affected and how do we help?” Lastly, Dr. Olson spoke about the nutritional value of dairy at Grant County Dairy Promoter’s event called “From Cow to Cup: Discover Dairy”, which took place on October 11th, 2023. Her captivating presentation, “Got Milk? (Probably Not Enough),” enlightened food influencers, farmers, educators, and students about the pivotal role of dairy in promoting human well-being, emphasizing its nutrient-rich attributes and abundant high-quality protein content.