Tanja Kral, PhD

Tanja V.E. Kral, Ph.D., is the Ellen and Robert Kapito Endowed Professor in Nursing Science and Professor of Nutrition Science in the School of Nursing (primary appointment) and in the Perelman School of Medicine (secondary appointment). Dr. Kral received her M.S. (2001) and Ph.D. (2003) in Nutritional Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University.

A nutrition scientist with training in the study of human ingestive behavior, Dr. Kral’s NIH-funded research focuses on the cognitive, sensory, and nutritional controls of appetite and eating in children and adults and their relevance to obesity, a unique juxtaposition of behavioral, genetic, experimental, and technology-based research methods in the study of human ingestive behavior. The overarching goal of her interdisciplinary research program is to advance the prevention and treatment of obesity by identifying behavioral phenotypes for obesity as an innovative approach for the development of more personalized obesity prevention and treatment interventions that are tailored to individual predispositions (precision nutrition). She also aims to develop evidence-based strategies that promote healthy eating in children with autism spectrum disorder through personalized technology-based interventions.

Dr. Kral can be contacted at the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, 418 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4217. Phone: 215-573-7512. Her email address is: tkral@nursing.upenn.edu.

Links: School of Nursing Bio page

Recent publications include:

Kral TVE, Moore RH, Chittams J, O’Malley L, Jones E, Quinn RJ, Fisher JO (2020). Caloric compensation and appetite control in children of different weight status and predisposition to obesity. Appetite, 151: 104501. 

Kral TV, Chittams J, Bradley CB, Daniels JL, DiGuiseppi CG, Johnson S, Pandey J, Pinto-Martin JA, Rahai N, Ramirez AJ, Schieve LA, Thompson A, Windham G, York W, Young L, Levy SE (2019). Early life influences on child weight outcomes in the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). Autism, 23(4): 954-962.

Kral TV, Moore RH, Chittams J, Jones E, O’Malley L, Fisher JO (2018). Identifying behavioral phenotypes for childhood obesity. Appetite, 127: 87-96.

Kral TV, Chittams J, Moore RH (2017). Relationship between food insecurity, child weight status, and parent-reported child eating and snacking behaviors. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 22(2): e12177.