Shailaja Mathur

Shailja Mathur is a faculty member at Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Lifestyle Coach, Certified Master Trainer, and a passionate advocate for Alzheimer’s and diabetes. She is also a trained facilitator of the CDC’s Healthy Heart Ambassador blood pressure self-monitoring program. For over twenty-four years, Shailja has led nutrition education outreach projects at the national, state, and county levels on behalf of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. 

Shailja received the 2018 National Extension Association of Family and Community Sciences (NEAFCS) National Diversity Award. In 2019, she was honored by Rutgers Cooperative Extension. She received the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Mary Jane Willis Diversity Award for her commitment to nutrition and dietetics, as well as her service to New Jersey’s diverse population. In 2025, she received the National Distinguished Service Award from NEAFCS for her leadership, program innovation, and lifelong commitment to enhancing public health and empowering communities through education and outreach.    

Shailja is ardent about both teaching and learning. She hopes to continue positively impacting lives in areas such as healthy eating, active living, and chronic disease prevention.  She provides various chronic disease prevention and health promotion programs for people of all ages. Shailja believes in creating change and is driven to make a meaningful impact in the community. 

Description of Study: 
The Cardiovascular Health in Asian Indians (CHAI) Project: Chasing the American Dream: Acculturation stress, truncal obesity, and cardiovascular risk among First-Generation Asian Indian immigrants in New Jersey. In this study, the researchers examined the relationship between social connectedness and truncal obesity and explored the relationships among family history, diet, physical activity, and acculturation stress on truncal obesity and cardiovascular (CV) risk. Additionally, we utilized community engagement strategies to co-design a syndemic multicomponent intervention to address obesity and CV risk among AI immigrants.