She has received prestigious awards for her clinical research, including:
Henry Christian Award for Excellence in Clinical Research (1997, 1998, 2004)
Novartis Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Clinical Research in Diabetes (2002)
Glaxo Smith Kline Scholar Award (2003)
Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award from the American Diabetes Association (2009)
Team Science Award, Association for Clinical and Translational Science (2016)
Dr. Petersen has published over 140 articles using stable isotopes MR spectroscopy to explore the pathogenesis of NAFLD, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance in aging, obesity, and low birth weight and the reversal of NAFLD and insulin resistance with caloric restriction or exercise.