Hometown: Spirit Lake, Iowa
Faculty mentor: Sarah Nash, MPH, PhD, assistant professor; and James Torner, MS, PhD, professor; Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health
Degree program and anticipated graduation date: PhD in epidemiology, May 2026

Morgan Wolff’s dissertation focuses on collecting dietary data in an ongoing study called the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST), which has examined the risk factors for and progression of knee osteoarthritis since 2002. Wolff is studying how diet and sedentary behavior impact participants’ pain, walking speed, leg strength, and biomarkers of inflammation around the knee joint. Approximately one in eight adults in the United States has osteoarthritis, and current treatments for knee osteoarthritis are limited and not always effective. Determining the role of diet and sedentary behavior in osteoarthritis development and progression can help shape treatments, including dietary changes and lifestyle changes to help patients manage their own condition.

After graduation, Wolff plans to become a professor and continue research in lifestyle behaviors and their health impacts.

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