Michelle Averill

Michelle Averill

Teaching Professor

Email: carrots@uw.edu

Phone: 206-221-6554

Office: 324-A, Raitt Hall

Expertise: Safe Food, Sustainable Communities, Environmental Health, Nutrition

PhD

[Tabs]

About

Dr. Michelle Averill is an Associate Teaching Professor in environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington. She is also the Associate Director for the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics and a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Averill received her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Washington and now lectures in nutrition, chronic disease, and critical illness. Her other interests include interprofessional education, understanding how we eat (eating competence), and the impacts of weight stigma.

Education

PhD, University of Washington
BS, University of Washington

Affiliations

Nutritional Sciences, Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education Research and Practice

PhD

Senior Lecturer

Dr. Averill received her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Washington and she now both lectures and researches in the field of nutrition, obesity, and diabetes. Dr. Averill is the clinical coordinator for the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics at the University of Washington and she is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Research Interests

Etiology of obesity-associated disorders. Atherosclerosis and insulin resistance. Macrophage biology and inflammation. Atherosclerosis progression. Cardiovascular disease. Lipid and glucose metabolism. Diet-environment interaction and health outcomes. Socioeconomic status and diet-related health outcomes and obesity. The effect of diet composition on lipids.

Mentorship

Primarily mentors Nutritional Sciences Program students with some exceptions. Available to mentor new masters students in autumn 2025. Please follow the instructions on the How To Apply page.

Research

Interests:

Nutrition-related health outcomes, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Nutrition support in critical illness. Diet-environment interaction and health outcomes. Weight stigma in clinical care. Interprofessional education.

Projects:

Weight stigma and anti-fat bias: interprofessional perceptions of weight-based treatments and adapting curriculum to adopt weight inclusive content.

How we feed ourselves and why it matters: investigating how we eat (i.e., eating competence) changes over the life course, and how this is related both to perceptions of health, identity, and external factors (e.g., everyday discrimination, SDOH, disease status).

Publications

Recent publications

See publications list

Projects

Diet and HDL Composition: the effect of a high fat versus a high carbohydrate meal on the proteome and lipidome in the postprandial state. Urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio and CVD: Study looking at the relationship between sodium and potassium with CVD endpoints, using urinary measures as biomarkers of dietary intake in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort. Whole Food Tube Feeding Study: pilot randomized controlled trial comparing standard versus whole foods based enteral nutrition formulas in patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer. Achievement gap study: determining the extent of an achievement gap in an undergraduate public health science course.

In the news

Is there anything wrong with your gut microbiome really?

June 6, 2025 | The Daily | Featured: Michelle Averill | View

Navigating unhealthy food culture on college campuses

April 27, 2025 | The Seattle Times | Featured: Michelle Averill | View

Science debunks a decades-old myth about drinking milk

April 1, 2023 | Inverse | Featured: Michelle Averill | View

4 useless supplements you're likely already getting enough of through your diet, according to nutrition experts

June 18, 2022 | Insider | Featured: Michelle Averill | View

RDN training with a public health lens

March 11, 2020 | UW Nutritional Sciences Program | Featured: Michelle Averill | View

UW launches new training program for children’s oral health

February 13, 2018 | UW Dental School | Featured: Michelle Averill | View

See publications on Pubmed

Education

PhD (University of Washington)

Teaching Interests

Nutr 562 Acute Care Nutrition
Nutr 559 Orientation to Clinical Practice
Nutr 511 Survey of Advanced Nutrition
Nutr 310 Nutrition Across the Life Course

Contact information

carrots@uw.edu

Tel

206-221-6554

Office

Raitt 324A

PO Box

353410

Engagement

Equity, diversity and inclusion

As an Associate Teaching Professor, I am committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom, in my scholarship, and within my community. I am guided by the Maya Angelou quote, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." In the classroom, I call attention to the historical and continued disparities and oppression that impact nutrition-related health outcomes while encouraging students to challenge assumptions and standard narratives. In partnership with colleagues, I would work to scaffold content related to racism, power, and privilege through the dietetics curriculum. My work in weight stigma and anti-fat bias addresses the impact of stigma and bias while collaborating with others to find solutions in education and practice.

Teaching practices

I aspire to create student-centered learning environments grounded in real-world application and connected to current practice. All students are invited to engage in discussion and case-based learning, where they can challenge assumptions and engage critically with the content. I ask students to experience real-world scenarios with community partners and current practitioners. Further, I work with students to create a highly collaborative and non-competitive environment where students build strength within a cohort to support each other as they progress in their academic journey.

Service

Chair NSP Admission Committee
NSP* Graduate Program Coordinator
NSP* Curriculum Committee member
DEOHS Teaching Peer Review Committee Member
SPH Representative for Interprofessional Education and Interprofessional Service-Learning Advisory Committee
Membership Director for the Northwest American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
Member of a Weight Stigma in Dietetic Education Taskforce
*NSP: Nutritional Sciences Program