Cheryl Valko
Associate Director
Cheryl Valko, MPH, RD is the Associate Director at the Prevention Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests include environmental and policy influences on healthy eating and active living, childhood obesity prevention, worksite wellness and dissemination of research through visually appealing briefs and other media. She manages the day to day activities of the PRC and also manages two other grant funded projects. Cheryl managed the Physical Activity Policy Research Network (PAPRN) for several years, which was directed by Dr. Amy Eyler and was funded to study the effectiveness of policies related to increasing physical activity in communities. Cheryl received her Master of Public Health degree from Saint Louis University, with a concentration in Behavioral Science and Epidemiology and is a Registered Dietitian. She has served as a Nutrition Consultant for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles on physical activity policies and related topics. Cheryl enjoys being outdoors and running and biking at Forest Park and other local trails, hiking, creating hand-made pottery and testing out ways to make recipes healthier.