Valerie L. Darcey
PhD, MS, RD
Director of Nutrition
Darcey.Valerie@wholeprofessional.com
A very large body of evidence now exists that suggests diet is as important to mental health as it is to physical health. Valerie directs Whole Professional’s nutrition programs with that understanding and the goal of increasing mental and physical well-being as well as performance.
Valerie’s research explores how diet might influence the function of brain structures underlying our habits and goal directed behaviors. One of her current projects investigates the relationship between striatal dopamine D2 receptor availability, body weight, and eating behavior.
She earned her B.A. in Biological Basis of Behavior at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Human Nutrition from Drexel University before completing her dietetic nutrition internship at the NIH Clinical Center and becoming a Registered Dietitian. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at Georgetown University where she studied the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and development of prefrontal cortex-mediated impulse control in adolescents.
Outside of the lab, Valerie is an avid runner who loves to cook and bake (occasionally, given the right recipe)!