Karen Miller-Kovach is chief scientist and general manager of research & development for Weight Watchers International. She is responsible for all aspects of the Weight Watchers program on a world-wide basis. Drawing from a Scientific Council made up of top experts in medicine, nutrition, exercise and psychology, Miller-Kovach oversees the program to ensure that it represents the latest scientific thinking in the fields of obesity and weight management. In addition, she coordinates all clinical research initiatives sponsored by Weight Watchers International and the Weight Watchers Foundation. She also serves as a corporate spokesperson on scientific matters.
Prior to joining Weight Watchers, Miller-Kovach spent 14 years at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, a major, tertiary medical facility located in Cleveland, Ohio. As the Foundation's director of nutrition services, she was a health care administrator, nutrition practitioner, and clinical researcher.
Miller-Kovach served as a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association from 1986 to 1993 and remains active with the organization as a resource spokesperson. She has authored three books, holds the patent for the POINTS? weight-loss system, and has contributed to numerous articles in leading nutrition and medical journals.
Miller-Kovach became a registered dietitian in 1979. She graduated magna cum laude with a BS degree in technology (1977) from Bowling Green State University, completed her dietetic internship at University Hospitals of Cleveland (1978), and received an MS in nutrition (1979) from Case Western Reserve University. She also holds an MBA in executive management (1991) from Baldwin-Wallace College.