1 Dr. Leann Birch is Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Nutritional Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, and Director of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research. Dr. Birch is a developmental psychologist, and she is internationally recognized for her research on how early experience and family environments shape children's developing food preferences, eating behaviors, and weight status. She obtained her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.