Our mission is to reduce health disparities among populations made vulnerable by systems of oppression.
We focus on studying food insecurity and its impact on health outcomes throughout the life course. This includes examining food insecurity in relation to the American Heart Association's Life’s Essential 8 (diet, physical activity, sleep, tobacco use, weight, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar) among college students, and food insecurity throughout adulthood in relation to risk for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias among older adults. Additionally, we investigate ways to improve access to food assistance, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), for students in higher education.
Using a mixed-methods approach, we conduct cross-sectional and longitudinal studies to collect and analyze data on food security status, diet, sleep, physical activity and cardiometabolic outcomes. We employ multivariate statistics, including structural equation modeling and sequence analysis, to assess the impact of food insecurity on health outcomes and academic performance among college students and utilize qualitative methods to understand the context of food insecurity.
We welcome UCSF graduate students, UCSF dietetic interns, and UC Berkeley MPH students to participate in a rotation with us.
