About Dr. Rachele Pojednic

Rachele Pojednic, PhD, EdM, FACSM, is the Director of Scientific Research & Education at Restore Hyper Wellness, an Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University and the Director of Education at Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. In addition, she serves as a Research Associate at the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is an award-winning Instructor at the Harvard Extension School. Previously, she was a tenure-track faculty member at Norwich University and Simmons University.

For the past decade, Dr Pojednic’s work has examined nutrition, supplementation and physical activity interventions on muscle physiology, performance and recovery, as well as muscle related chronic disease. She has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN) an NIH IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program. She has published extensively on vitamin D and cannabidiol (CBD) supplementation and their effects on skeletal muscle in health and disease, muscle physiology and aging with a focus on sarcopenia, physiologic metrics of muscle recovery in warfighters, the effects of nutrition and exercise interventions on diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and educational models for healthcare professionals focused on nutrition and exercise.

Dr. Pojednic serves on the Governance Board for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Exercise Is Medicine® (EIM) initiative and on the Scientific Advisory Board for Heali.ai. She has also served as the co-chair of the ACSM EIM Education Committee, was the Interim Executive Director for the Prescription for Activity Task Force, and The American Council on Exercise (ACE) Industry Advisory Panel. Dr Pojednic has a particular passion for science communication and has been a consultant and writer for several organizations, including Time, The Washington Post, Popular Science, Self, Shape, Women's Health, Forbes, Runners World, and Boston Magazine. She has also been a member of the fitness community for twenty years as an indoor cycling instructor and an ambassador for Specialized and Lululemon. 

Dr. Pojednic received her PhD from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition & Exercise Physiology. She also holds an EdM in Physical Education and Coaching from Boston University and a BS in Cardiopulmonary and Exercise Science from Northeastern University. Her research at Tufts was completed in the Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia laboratory at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, where she was awarded the Ruth L Kirschstein National Research Service Award by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.  She holds a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification from National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and is board certified Health Coach from the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC).

Credentials

  • Postdoctoral Training - Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Center & Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

  • PhD - Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition

  • MS - Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition

  • EdM - Boston University, Physical Education and Coaching

  • BS - Northeastern University, Cardiopulmonary and Exercise Science

  • CSCS - Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach, NSCA

  • NBHWC - National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach

  • "For someone without a science background like myself, Dr Pojednic was able to break down complex concepts in a way that was easy to understand."

  • "Dr. Pojednic’s knowledge and enthusiasm are a perfect combination. She’s trustworthy, open-minded and kind."

  • "There is so much misinformation out there, and after this course I feel better equipped to use evidence-based studies to judge headlines and claims about nutrition."

Speaking Engagements

Dr. Pojednic is available to speak internationally at nutrition, physical activity, public health, fitness/wellness, academic, corporate and continuing medical education conferences. She is available for in-person, remote and podcast engagement. Her talks typically focus on the translation between the scientific evidence of healthful eating and physical activity.