Julie Mennella

Julie Mennella
Alma mater	University of Chicago
Known for	Prenatal and postnatal taste in infants, Women's health and infant development
Awards	National Research Service Award, National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (1990-1992); Morley Kare Fellowship, Monell Center (1991-1993); FIRST Award, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (1993-1998); Avanelle Kirksey Lectureship Award, Purdue University, Department of Nutrition (1996); AChemS Moskowitz-Jacobs Award (1997); Elizabeth W. Bingham Award, Association for Women in Science Award (1999)
Scientific career
Fields	Biology, genetics, biopsychology
Institutions	Monell Chemical Senses Center

Julie Mennella is a biopsychologist specializing in the development of food and flavor preferences in humans and the effects of alcohol and tobacco on women's health and infant development. She currently works at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Some of her research has focused on how food preferences may be developed in the womb or during very early life. ^[1]

Select publications

• Mennella JA, Beauchamp GK, Maternal Diet Alters the Sensory Qualities of Human Milk and the Nursling’s Behavior. Pediatrics 88, 4, 1991, pp. 737-744. PMID   1896276.
• Mennella JA, Jagnow CJ, Beauchamp GK. Prenatal and post-natal flavor learning by human infants. Pediatrics 107: e88, 2001. PMC   1351272
• Mennella JA, Ventura AK, Beauchamp, GK. Differential growth patterns among healthy infants fed protein hydrolysate or cow-milk formulas. Pediatrics 127(1):110-8, 2011. PMC   3010087 .
• Mennella JA, Lukasewycz LD, Castor SL, Beauchamp GK. The timing and duration of a sensitive period in human flavor learning. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 93: 1019-1024, 2011. PMC   3076653 .
• Mennella JA, Pepino MY. Breastfeeding and prolactin levels in lactating women with a family history of alcoholism. Pediatrics 125: e1162-70, 2010. PMC   2980825 .
• Mennella JA, Pepino, MY, Duke F, Reed DR. Age modifies the genotype-phenotype relationship for the bitter receptor TAS2R38. BMC Genetics 11: 60, 2010. PMC   3087510 .
• Mennella JA, Beauchamp GK. Optimizing oral medications for children. Clinical Therapeutics, 30: 2120-2132; 2008. PMC   2744307 .
• Forestell CA, Mennella JA. Early determinants of fruit and vegetable acceptance. Pediatrics 120: 1247-54, 2007. PMC   2268898
• Forestell CA, Mennella JA. Children’s hedonic judgments of cigarette smoke odor: Effects of parental smoking and maternal mood. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 19: 423-432, 2005. PMC   1783765 .
• Mennella JA, Forestell CA. Children’s hedonic responses to the odors of alcoholic beverages: A window to emotions. Alcohol 42:249-60, 2008. PMC   2483837 .

Awards and honors

In 2016, she was named a distinguished practitioner fellow of the National Academy of Practice. ^{[2] [3]} In 2020, Mennella received the Max Mozell Award for outstanding achievement in the chemical sciences from the Association for Chemoreception Sciences. ^[4]

In 2025, she was awarded Ig Nobel Prize for "studying what a nursing baby experiences when the baby’s mother eats garlic", by "Maternal Diet Alters the Sensory Qualities of Human Milk and the Nursling’s Behavior". ^[5]

References

1. Mennella, Julie. "Flavour Programming During Infancy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
2. "Member Directory". www.napractice.org. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
3. "Monell Scientist Honored for Career Achievement in Chemosensory Research". Monell Chemical Senses Center. April 20, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
4. "Association for Chemoreception Sciences". achems.org. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
5. "Winners of the Ig Nobel Prize". Improbable.com. September 1, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025.

External links

• Dr. Mennella's page on the Monell site.
• Healthier Societies, Long Lives