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 (1991). "Maternal diet alters the sensory qualities of human milk and the nursling's behavior". Pediatrics. 88: 737–44. PMID   1896276..
• Mennella, JA; Jagnow, CP; Beauchamp, GK (2001). "Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants". Pediatrics. 107 (6): E88. doi:10.1542/peds.107.6.e88. PMC   1351272 . PMID   11389286.
• Mennella, JA; Ventura, AK; Beauchamp, GK (2011). "Differential growth patterns among healthy infants fed protein hydrolysate or cow-milk formulas". Pediatrics. 127: 110–8. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1675. PMC   3010087 . PMID   21187303..
• Mennella, JA; Lukasewycz, LD; Castor, SM; Beauchamp, GK (2011). "The timing and duration of a sensitive period in human flavor learning: a randomized trial". Am J Clin Nutr. 93: 1019–24. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.014381. PMC   3076653 . PMID   21310829..
• Mennella, JA; Pepino, MY (2010). "Breastfeeding and prolactin levels in lactating women with a family history of alcoholism". Pediatrics. 125 (5): e1162-70. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-3040. PMC   2980825 . PMID   20403941..
• Mennella, JA; Pepino, MY; Duke, FF; Reed, DR (2010). "Age modifies the genotype-phenotype relationship for the bitter receptor TAS2R38". BMC Genet. 11 60. doi: 10.1186/1471-2156-11-60 . PMC   3087510 . PMID   20594349..
• Mennella, JA; Beauchamp, GK (2008). "Optimizing oral medications for children". Clin Ther. 30 (11): 2120–32. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2008.11.018. PMC   2744307 . PMID   19108800..
• Forestell, CA; Mennella, JA (2007). "Early determinants of fruit and vegetable acceptance". Pediatrics. 120 (6): 1247–54. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-0858. PMC   2268898 . PMID   18055673.
• Forestell, CA; Mennella, JA (2005). "Children's hedonic judgments of cigarette smoke odor: effects of parental smoking and maternal mood". Psychol Addict Behav. 19 (4): 423–32. doi:10.1037/0893-164X.19.4.423. PMC   1783765 . PMID   16366814..
• Mennella, JA; Forestell, CA (2008). "Children's hedonic responses to the odors of alcoholic beverages: a window to emotions". Alcohol. 42 (4): 249–60. doi:10.1016/j.alcohol.2008.03.129. PMC   2483837 . PMID   18539246..

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