JULIE HANSEN BURNS ‘79
The following bio was published in February 2022.
Julie Hansen Burns, MS, RDN, CCN ‘79 is the founder of SportFuel, Inc., an integrative sports nutrition and wellness consulting firm she started in 1993 (when she learned she was expecting triplets!). At the time, Julie served as Director of Research at the Chicago Center for Clinical Research, a former affiliate of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center. There she specialized in cardiovascular experimental nutritional and pharmaceutical clinical research, and had an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Nutrition. She became a consultant to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1988, thanks to a referral from her medical director, and continues as the team’s Lead Team Nutritionist today.
After graduating from Mother McAuley in 1979, Julie earned her bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (1983), and completed her internship and Master of Science in Clinical Dietetics at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions (1987). Julie is a registered and licensed dietitian (RDN, LDN) in the state of Illinois, and is a Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN) and member of the American Nutrition Association.
Julie was rated “one of the top ten experts to help revamp your diet” by Harper's BAZAAR magazine. She received the American Dietetic Association Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutritionists (SCAN) 2002 “Achievement Award” and has also been awarded “Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year" by the Chicago and Illinois Dietetic Associations.
In addition to the Chicago Blackhawks, Julie has worked individually with athletes who compete in the NFL, MLB, NBA, Olympics, and on other elite sports teams. She worked as a nutrition consultant to players on the 2005 World Series Chicago White Sox baseball team, the Chicago Bears football team, the 1993-1998 NBA Champion Chicago Bulls, the NBA D-league, Northwestern University's varsity teams, Kendall Coyne Camps, Tennis Canada, and with 2019 US Open Winner, Bianca Andreescu, in addition to individual pro and elite athletes worldwide.
After seeing firsthand that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, Julie developed a highly personalized program that blends evidence-based nutrition with lifestyle medicine to help her clients discover their maximum potential. Julie is also the Managing Member of Eat Like the Pros®, which acts as a highly effective resource hub designed to help you integrate the SportFuel, Inc. philosophy into your life.
In addition to her passion for continued learning and helping others, Julie enjoys golfing, gardening, cooking, yoga, meditating contemplatively, volunteering for charities and causes close to her heart, walking her sweet dog, Chloe, and watching and attending sporting events with her husband, Francis, and adult triplets, Kathleen, Marty and Julia!
