Melissa Marra

Associate Professor Melissa Ventura Marra, PhD, RDN, CCMS, was born and raised in north central West Virginia. After earning her bachelor's degree at West Virginia University in Human Nutrition and Foods, she went on to complete WVU's Graduate Dietetic Internship program, earning her master’s degree and gaining the experience required for dietetic registration. 

After practicing as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for several years in Maryland and Florida, she went on to earn her doctoral degree at Florida International University in Miami. She subsequently worked as a post-doctoral associate at the National Center on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Aging at FIU. Dr. Marra then served as the Director of Nutrition Services for a large physicians’ group in South Florida until she returned to her home state and alma mater to take a position as assistant professor of nutrition in 2013. 

Dr. Marra teaches medical nutrition therapy in the undergraduate didactic program in dietetics and contributes to the graduate curriculum. Research in her applied nutrition laboratory focuses on understanding how dietary patterns and food components affect biological markers of health and aging.