Berkeley Scientific Journal

Dr. Sharon Fleming has been a professor in the Department of Nutritional Science & Toxicology at UC Berkeley since 1979. After getting her PhD in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon in 1975, her research has followed her interests from cellular and molecular pathways of macronutrients to public health in low-income inner-city communities. Professor Fleming was a co-founder of the Robert C and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health and has also been very involved in assessing risk factors for type II diabetes. Her symposium in 2002 on type II diabetes in children comprehensively reviewed these various risk factors for use in public policy. BSJ interviewed Dr. Fleming just as she was clearing out her office in preparation for retiring from teaching and research at Berkeley to become a professor emeritus.