About Dr. Tabbetha D. Lopez, RD, LD, FAND

Dr. Tabbetha D. Lopez RD, LD, FAND is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian in Texas. Dr. Lopez is the Director of the Graduate Program in Dietetics at Sam Houston State University and Assistant Professor. She has her doctoral degree from the University of Houston in Kinesiology with a focus on Obesity Research, a Bachelors Degree in Biology with a focus on Biochemistry and a second Bachelors Degree in Nutrition also from the University of Houston. Besides her extensive academic accomplishments Tabbetha is also an expert Personal Trainer. She is former NASM certified personal trainer with specializations in Performance enhancement, Corrective exercise and Inclusive Fitness Training.  She was also an instructor for NASM Lifetime Academy, educating our future personal trainers. 
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Tabbetha has been an athlete her entire life as  a former Houston Texans Cheerleader a healthy diet and exercise has always been very important. 
Tabbetha now enjoys working with patients in all different stages of change. She has experience in a clinical setting as well as an outpatient setting. She enjoys working hard with patient to develop strategies that work for them and lead them to achieving their goals. 

Clients

  • Bariatric Surgery
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Renal
  • Gastrointestinal Disfunction
  • Food Sensitivity
  • Food Allergies
  • Migraines
  • many more food related 

Awards

• SHSU Tenured Faculty Service Award​
•  UH Future Faculty Fellow
• GEM Award Outstanding Dietitian 
• Dean's List 

Community Service

  • American Heart Association
  • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo - Trailblazer Committee​​, Rodeo Run
  • ​Junior League of Houston
  • Ronald McDonald House
  • ​Open Door Mission

Publications

​Lopez, TD., Cepni, A. B., Goodman, L. P., Arlinghaus, K. R., Wiesner, M., Johnston, C. A., Haubrick, K., & Ledoux, T. A. (2024). Development of the two-factor modified Kids Eating Disorder Survey (M-KEDS): a validation study with Hispanic adolescents. Nutrition Journal, 23(1), 134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-024-01031-2 (Impact Factor – 4.4)
 
Fergus, L., Di G., Gilbert, K., and Lopez, T. (2024) The Relationship Between a Campus Food Pantry and Academic Success at a Public University, Social Sciences 13(11), 587. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13110587 (Impact Factor – 1.7)
 
Boutros, B., Lopez, T. and Browning-Keen, V. (2024) The Impact of Social Media on Dietary Behaviors and Body Image of College Students: A Qualitative Approach. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 15, 711-726. doi: 10.4236/fns.2024.158046.(Impact Factor – 2.37)
 
Lopez TD, Hernandez D, Bode S, Ledoux T. A complex relationship between intuitive eating and diet quality among university students. J Am Coll Health. 2021 Nov 17;:1-7. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1996368. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34788570.
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 Lopez, T. Clinical Nutrition in Athletic Training. Knoblauch M, editor. Slack Books; 2022. Chapter 12, Disordered Eating Behaviors; 208p. 

Hatem C, Lee CY, Zhao X, Reesor-Oyer L, Lopez T, Hernandez DC. Food insecurity and housing instability during early childhood as predictors of adolescent mental health. J Fam Psychol. 2020 Sep;34(6):721-730. doi: 10.1037/fam0000651. Epub 2020 Mar 19. PubMed PMID: 32191051; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7483158.
 
Lopez T, Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA. Developing Adaptive Learning Environments to Support Long-Term Health Promotion. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019 Jan-Feb;13(1):30-32. doi: 10.1177/1559827618807389. eCollection 2019 Jan-Feb. Review. PubMed PMID: 30627073; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6311601.
 
Leme ACB, Thompson D, Lenz Dunker KL, Nicklas T, Tucunduva Philippi S, Lopez T, Vézina-Im LA, Baranowski T. Obesity and eating disorders in integrative prevention programmes for adolescents: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2018 Apr 19;8(4):e020381. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020381. PubMed PMID: 29674372; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5914714.
 
Ledoux T, Lopez T. Nutrition in Weight Management and Obesity. In: Rippe JM, editor. Nutrition in Lifestyle Medicine 1 ed. Springer International Publishing Switzerland: Humana Press; 2017. Chapter 8; p.173-192. 433p.