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Pioneering Data-Driven
Dietary Assessment

For over four decades, NutritionQuest has transformed how researchers measure nutrition—from months of manual coding to instant, validated analysis.

1982

Starting with Better Data

In 1982, dietary food frequency questionnaires asked about foods that researchers assumed people ate, not what they actually ate. It was an approach that made every study less accurate than it could be.

At the National Cancer Institute, Gladys Block saw a better way. She analyzed NHANES data to identify which foods are the top sources of nutrients in the American diet. This data-driven approach made dietary assessment more accurate and reproducible. The method is now the standard worldwide and is used in most scientifically-based dietary assessment.

Her NHANES analyses on fruits, vegetables, and cancer prevention became the scientific foundation for the national 5-A-Day program.
1984

Automating the Analysis

Manual dietary analysis was tedious and error-prone. Gladys Block coded DietSys herself in PL/1, creating the first automated dietary analysis software. The National Cancer Institute adopted it as their standard analysis tool for the next 15 years, and its DNA lives on in their current dietary analysis programs.

1991

A Family Business

When Gladys Block left NCI and the institute discontinued DietSys support, she founded Block Dietary Data Systems (now NutritionQuest) to keep these tools available to researchers.

This became a true family effort. Gladys Block provided the scientific foundation. Clifford Block, a research psychologist, would lead the behavioral components that made our intervention tools successful. Their son Torin would soon lead the technical development, transforming scientific methods into practical tools.

2000s

Comprehensive Pediatric Assessment Tools

But adults weren't our only focus. We developed validated dietary assessment tools for every pediatric age group—from toddlers (2-7 years) to adolescents (8-17 years). These tools became the gold standard for children's nutrition research.

Our Kids Screeners and questionnaires now power some of the largest pediatric studies in the world, including the ECHO study, the ABCD study, and countless others. When research requires accurate pediatric dietary data, our tools are the solution.

2005 - Present

Measurement Gives Rise to Intervention

"Predicting rain doesn't count. Building arks does."
— Warren Buffett

That philosophy inspired ALIVE!. We built it incrementally through multiple randomized controlled trials over 20+ years, learning what actually changes behavior. Clifford Block's psychological expertise, along with collaborators from Stanford, Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research, and other institutions, shaped the behavioral components.

Today, ALIVE! powers diabetes prevention, workplace wellness, and community health programs. Learn more about ALIVE! →

Ongoing

This is what 4 decades of innovation actually looks like

3,000+
Studies
Using our tools in children and adult research
500+
Institutions
Universities and research centers worldwide
1M+
Assessments
Completed by participants globally
300+
Questionnaire Versions
Each carefully built for specific research needs
25+
Years of Data-on-Demand
Our cloud platform powering research
Dozens
Validation Studies
Tested against diet recalls and records

Leadership Team

Gladys Block

Founder & Chief Scientist

Throughout her career, Gladys’ purpose has been to produce tools or knowledge that would be useful – to researchers and to individuals. Make it easy for every research study on any topic to include dietary assessment. Show policy makers the gaps in what we’re eating, and suggest an easy way for individuals to count their fruit and vegetables. Provide rigorous RCTs on the effect of vitamin C and other supplements in combating inflammation and oxidative stress. Provide knowledge on what individuals can do for themselves to improve their health. She's hoping to continue to make a contribution.

300+ publications • Original innovator • Still building

Torin Block

CEO & Director of Development

Since 1996, Torin has led the development of every major platform and innovation. He conceived and led development of the Data-on-Demand system, which has powered thousands of studies. He directed ALIVE!'s refinement through decades of research, and patented a highly cited method for behavioral goal management. His latest interests include the development and further testing of the Dietary Flavonoid Diversity Index (DFDI)—published in 2022, it's the first measure of the relationship between flavonoid diversity and human health.

28 years building • Platform architect • Still innovating

The People Who Built This

NutritionQuest wouldn't be what it is without these remarkable contributors

Clifford Block

Co-founder and research psychologist who shaped the behavioral science behind our tools. His expertise in behavior change transformed dietary assessment into health intervention, making ALIVE! not just measure but improve outcomes. His psychological frameworks continue to guide our approach.

Don Hopkins

The brilliant engineer behind nearly every line of code that powers NutritionQuest. Don built our Data-on-Demand system, developed the ALIVE! platform, and created our API infrastructure. More than an engineer, he co-designed ALIVE!'s innovative features and user experience. His code powers every assessment, every intervention, every analysis that drives health research forward.

Emily Esner

The operational excellence behind thousands of successful studies. Emily ensures every questionnaire is processed accurately, every analysis runs smoothly, and every order reaches researchers on time. Her meticulous attention to detail guarantees the data quality our clients depend on.

Jean Norris

A DrPH and Registered Dietitian who made essential contributions to our comprehensive databases and co-developed many of our FFQs and screeners. Jean meticulously linked government nutrient data with NHANES using Gladys Block's methodology, strengthening the analytical foundation that powers many of the nutritional assessments we process today.

Kristin Kline

The voice of NutritionQuest's customer experience for many years. Kristin guided hundreds of researchers through their studies, ensuring they succeeded with our tools. Her systems for customer support and operational management remain our standard today.

Heather Carpenter

The creative vision behind ALIVE!'s engaging user experience. Heather designed every visual element that makes ALIVE! approachable and effective. Her artistic sensibility and strategic thinking helped transform complex behavioral science into intuitive, beautiful interfaces that inspire healthy change.

Continuing the Work

After 4 decades, we're still focused on the same goal: providing researchers with accurate, validated tools for nutrition science.

We've spent 4 decades on one simple belief: Good science deserves great tools. Let us build yours.

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