Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Susan Veldheer’s research broadly focuses on behavioral health interventions for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Using an interdisciplinary and community-engaged research approach, Dr. Veldheer has designed and tested interventions related to improving dietary intake of fruits and vegetables; assessing barriers to treatment for both smoking cessation and obesity; and understanding perceptions of public health interventions among patients, providers and community members.
Dr. Veldheer recently led a gardening intervention at the Hershey Community garden to improve dietary intake of fruits and vegetables among patients with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In addition, she has conducted randomized trials to assess the effectiveness and potential health effects of tobacco cessation interventions and novel tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and reduced-nicotine-content cigarettes.
Finally, using qualitative research methods and supported by a Clinical and Translational Science Institute Bridges to Translation award, she is conducting studies to understand the perceptions of screening for social determinants of health among both patients and clinical care team members.
Dr. Susan Veldheer is a Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute KL2 Scholar (2022-2024).
Professional information
Registered Dietitian, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Communications, BA, Marquette University
Adult Education, DEd, The Pennsylvania State University
Human Nutrition, BS, University of Illinois at Chicago
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 3 Finished
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The Effects of Diet and Exercise Interventions in Peripheral Artery Disease
Gardner, A. (PI) & Veldheer, S. (CoI)
9/1/22 → 5/31/23
Project: Research project
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Does switching to nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes reduce health risk markers?
Veldheer, S. (CoI)
2/1/19 → 2/1/21
Project: Research project
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Association between yoga and multimorbidity: a nationwide study of 279,885 middle-aged and older adults
Wang, K., Wang, P., Li, Y., Wang, C., Veldheer, S., Wang, F., Na, M., Sun, L. & Gao, X., Dec 2025, In: BMC Public Health. 25, 1, 888.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Participant Preferences to Inform the Development of Theory-Driven, Digitally Delivered Cooking Interventions Using the Behavior Change Wheel
Veldheer, S., Scartozzi, C., Watt, B., Thomas, O. W., Hrabovsky, S. & Sciamanna, C. N., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Barriers to identifying and addressing health-related social needs in cancer care: Patient and patient navigator perspectives
Henry, T., Hayes, M., Eisele, C. D., Veldheer, S., Allen, S. I., Hoglen, B., Houser, K. R., Lengerich, E. J., Rodriguez-Colon, S. M., Jenkins, A. C. & Hobkirk, A. L., Dec 2024, In: Journal of Cancer Policy. 42, 100508.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Effects of liquid nicotine concentration and flavour on the acceptability of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among people who smoke participating in a randomised controlled trial to reduce cigarette consumption
Yingst, J., Midya, V., White, A., Foulds, J., Cobb, C. O., Veldheer, S., Yen, M. S. & Eissenberg, T., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Tobacco Control. p. 1-10 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3 Scopus citations -
Gardening and subjective cognitive decline: a cross-sectional study and mediation analyses of 136,748 adults aged 45+ years
Wang, K., Li, Y., Chen, X., Veldheer, S., Wang, C., Wang, H., Sun, L. & Gao, X., Dec 2024, In: Nutrition Journal. 23, 1, 59.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Scopus citations
Prizes
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Outstanding Collaborative Research Team
Schmitz, K. (Recipient), Bluethmann, S. (Recipient), Calo, W. (Recipient), Stine, J. (Recipient), Sturgeon, K. (Recipient), Zaorsky, N. (Recipient), Conroy, D. E. (Recipient), Mohamed, A. (Recipient), Pameijer, C. R. (Recipient), Raja-Khan, N. (Recipient), Rao, P. (Recipient), Rogers, C. J. (Recipient), Thomas, G. (Recipient), Veldheer, S. (Recipient) & Vidt, M. (Recipient), 2021
Prize