Dr. Sceppa, MD, PhD, is an accomplished physician and scientist, having published more than 75 scholarly articles focused largely on healthy aging. The primary focus of her research has been on how nutrition and exercise can improve the lives of the elderly, whether they are frail, suffering from chronic disease, or are a member of a vulnerable population.
She has also published widely on health disparities and forming community partnerships as well as teaching and student mentoring.
Her research findings have influenced the revision of health recommendations by the Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, while her work on resistance exercises for older adults with kidney disease and diabetes was translated into clinical practice by the American Diabetes Association.
Dr. Sceppa came to Northeastern in 2008 as an associate professor of health sciences and received tenure in 2011. She has served in key positions at the college, including director of the graduate program in exercise science, chair of the Department of Health Sciences, associate dean of undergraduate education, and senior associate dean of academic affairs. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.
Dr. Sceppa earned her medical degree from Francisco Marroquin University in her native Guatemala, and her PhD in nutrition from Tufts University.