Faculty Profile for Dr. Lesli M Biediger-Friedman

profile photo for Dr. Lesli M Biediger-Friedman
Dr. Lesli M Biediger-Friedman
Associate Professor — School of Family & Consumer Sciences
FCS 101
phone: (512) 245-7059
Scholarly/Creative Work
Awards
Grants
Service

Biography Section

Biography and Education

 Lesli Biediger-Friedman, PhD, MPH, RD aims to improve food and nutrition security through innovations that build equitable solutions for vulnerable populations. Her research includes policy, systems, and environmental approaches to build capacity in public health nutrition, while modernizing programs, and improving equitable resources to more nutritious food.

As the co-founder and director of Bobcat Bounty and the USDA, NIFA funded Food Security LEADers Learning Community, Dr. Biediger-Friedman aims to empower students at all levels to create innovative solutions to address barriers to community food and nutrition resources. Through the work of LEADers, Dr. Biediger-Friedman and colleagues systematically work to diversify the professions of nutrition and dietetics. Other current research includes a collaboration with the Texas WIC Program in which Lesli leads an evaluation team to study Maya, the Texas WIC chatbot, and identify opportunities for Maya to provide programmatic and nutrition information to Texas WIC participants. In 2022, Dr. Biediger-Friedman became the principal investigator for the Nutrition for Underserved Elders Via Application (NUEVA) project, funded by the Administration for Community Living. NUEVA is powered by a large multidisciplinary team developing an app to recruit, assess, monitor, and deliver food to nutritionally at-risk older adults. She trains her research teams to use mixed methods designs and conduct community-based participatory research to investigate approaches to involve community members and stakeholders in all stages of research.

Teaching Interests

 Community Nutrition
Policy and Ethics in Nutrition
Wellness

Research Interests

 Public health nutrition
Community capacity building
Food and nutrition security
Maternal and Child Health/ Nutrition
Senior nutrition
The Built Environment
Nutrition + Technology

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Baez, K., Biediger-Friedman, L. M., Johnson, C. M., Stubblefield, E. P., & Markides, B. R. (2025). Exploring client perceptions on gaining infant feeding information through the Texas Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) chatbot. International Journal for Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(2), 193. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020193
  • Maleki, S., Johnson, C. M., Mendez, F. A., Shanmugam, R., & Biediger-Friedman, L. M. (2025). A socioeconomic disadvantage index for informing policy, systems, and environmental change interventions for senior nutrition programs. Frontiers in Public Health, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1520925
  • Hwang, S. S., Johnson, C. M., Charles, J. S. J., & Biediger-Friedman, L. M. (2024). Food Delivery Apps and Their Potential to Address Food Insecurity in Older Adults: A Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21, 1197. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21091197
  • Biediger-Friedman, L. M., Johnson, C. M., Thornton, H. B., & Buckley, M. (2024). Building Bobcat Bounty: The design, implementation, and initial evaluation of a student-led food pantry to address college student food insecurity. Dietetics, 3(4), 389–408. https://doi.org/10.3390/dietetics3040029
  • Saha, S., Okafor, H. R., Biediger-Friedman, L. M., & Behnke, A. O. (2021). Association between diet and symptoms of anxiety and depression in college students: A systematic review. Journal of American College Health, (June, 2021), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1926267

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Texas State Quarterly Team Award, The Office of The Provost. July 2018
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Service, College of Applied Arts. August 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Research - Graduate Student - Kelci Baez, FCS in BLOOM. April 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Service - Graduate Student - Dominique Alfaro, FCS in Bloom. April 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Granduate Student Research - Kelci Baez, Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior. July 2023 - Present

Selected Grants

  • Crixell, Sylvia L (Co-Principal), Biediger-Friedman, Lesli M (Co-Principal). Chat with WIC: Innovating WIC Services with a Chatbot, Texas WIC: Texas Health and Human Services, Federal, $101000. (Funded: 2018). Grant.
  • Biediger-Friedman, Lesli M (Principal), Qasem, Apan Muhammad (Co-Principal), Villagran, Melinda Morris (Co-Principal), Johnson, Cassandra (Co-Principal), Renick, Cecil O (Co-Principal), Hwang, Sangchul Scott (Supporting), Mendez, Francis A (Supporting), Sen, Keya (Supporting), Ramamonjiarivelo, Zo H (Supporting), Shanmugam, Ram (Supporting), Charles, Joni S J (Supporting). NUEVA - Nutrition for Underserved Elders Via Application, United States Department of Health and Human Services - Administration for Community Living, Federal, $2764270. (Submitted: March 10, 2022, Funded: August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2027). Grant.
  • Biediger-Friedman, Lesli M (Principal), Markides, Brittany Reese (Co-Principal). Chat with WIC - Years 3 - 5, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, State, $450000. (Submitted: August 2017, Funded: September 2018 - August 2023). Grant.
  • Thornton, Hannah (Co-Principal), Biediger-Friedman, Lesli (Co-Principal). Learning Communities Grant, College of Applied Arts, Texas State University, $6000.00. (Funded: August 31, 2018 - June 1, 2019). Grant.
  • Sosa, ET (Co-Principal), Biediger-Friedman, Lesli M (Co-Principal). Preschool home nutrition and physical activity environments, College of Education and Human Development, The University of Texas at San Antonio, $4000. (Funded: 2012). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Member
A.G.E. Taskforce
2024-Present
Member
FCS Curriculum Committee
May 2023-Present
Graduate Advisor
Human Nutrition
January 2020-Present
Co-Chair
MS in Human Nutrition Admissions Committee
January 2020-Present
Other
Hays County Food Security Coalition
September 2019-Present