Connie M. Weaver, PhD
Dr. Connie Weaver is an expert in nutrition science with a focus on women's health, botanicals, and age-related diseases. Through her research, Dr. Weaver has developed peak bone mass and mineral requirements, a rapid screening method for bone loss therapies using 41Ca, in addition to researching the effect of diet on gut microbiomes and cardiovascular risk. Dr. Weaver worked at Purdue University from 1978-2018 and has earned numerous awards, special appointments and grants, published numerous articles, and served on many boards and committees concerned with health.
Connie M. Weaver was born in LaGrande, Oregon on October 29, 1950. Weaver earned her Bachelor (1972) and Master (1974) of Science in Nutrition at Oregon State University and her doctorate in Nutrition from the University of Florida (1978).
She began her teaching career in 1973 as a teaching assistant in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Oregon State University. She continued as a teacher and research assistant in foods and nutrition until she earned her first professorial position at Purdue University in 1978 as an Assistant Professor of Foods and Nutrition. At this time, she was pregnant with her first child. Just twenty months later, she had twins. During this time, Dr. Weaver was working towards tenure at Purdue, which she received in 1984.
Dr. Weaver became a full professor in 1988. She continued in Department of Food and Nutrition (later Food Science, then Nutrition Science) for the remainder of her time at Purdue, later serving as head of the department (1991-2016) and earned the title of Distinguished Professor (2000). She was also the director of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Botanicals Center for Age-Related Diseases (2000-2011), deputy director of NIH Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute (2008-), co-director of the International Breast Cancer and Nutrition Project (2010-), and the director of the Women's Global Health Institute.
Dr. Weaver held numerous camps for children to conduct her research on calcium and diet. She held eleven camps which focused on calcium. These camps were called "Camp Calcium" and the last one was held in 2010. In 2017 she held "Camp Dash", the first of four, which would focus on researching calcium's effect on blood pressure and diet. Many issues arose during the first few weeks of camp, resulting in the camp being cancelled early and a lawsuit against Purdue University. Dr. Weaver left Purdue University in December 2018.
Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Connie Weaver has earned over 50 special appointments and more than 40 awards, in addition to earning over fifty million dollars in grants for Purdue University. She has also published over 380 research articles in addition to teaching and developing courses, speaking at academic events, and hosting conferences and symposiums. She has also served on numerous committees and boards that focus on health and nutrition.
