Speaker Biographies

Lori Pivarnik

Dr. Lori F. Pivarnik received her Ph.D. in Food Science at the University of Rhode Island in 1990. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Pivarnik, as the Cooperative Extension Seafood/Food Safety Specialist in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Rhode Island, has had responsibility for outreach programming for the Rhode Island food processing industry and producers of fruits and vegetables in the areas of quality/safety and any mandated regulatory (i.e., HACCP) training. In addition, she has developed and implemented a variety of food safety curricula for school-aged children, such as the Detective Mike Robe Fantastic Journey series and the Food Safety House, as well as food safety education and in-service opportunities for educators. Dr. Pivarnik also has a successful applied research program in the area of seafood quality and safety and microbiological assessment of fresh fruits and vegetables. She is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists, Association of Food and Drug Officials, and International Association of Food Protection.