Areas of Expertise

• Dietary assessment, including development and validation of measures

• Obesity prevention design and implementation of interventions and - evaluation, especially in youth (e.g., early care and education)

• Food insecurity and investigating the coexistence with obesity and other related factors

• Process and outcome evaluation in public health nutrition, including evaluation of technical assistance

• Strategic planning to help private foundations establish metrics for their grantees (including, if appropriate, standardization of measures across grantees)

Food Story

A self-proclaimed food lover, Yaroch logs some of her own food adventures throughout the United States and enjoys sampling diverse cuisines, including “dive” restaurants, as well as dining options that support local farmers. She grew up in New York City, so she didn’t have the opportunity to sample and appreciate locally-produced food until her 30’s and remembers really tasting a peach for the first time when she ate one straight off a tree in Colorado. From that point forward, she was hooked on local foods and continues to have an interest in the subject both personally and professionally.

Publications

Academic History

Ph.D., Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Emory University, 1999

• Specialization: Behavioral Sciences and Health Education (Community and Preventive Health)

• Dissertation: Evaluation of the validity and reliability of two dietary assessment methods among low-income, overweight, African-American female adolescents
  

• B.A., magna cum laude, Psychology, Minor: Biology, State University of New York at Albany, 1990

Academic Appointments

• Special Dean’s Appointment, Adjunct Professor, Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health University of Nebraska of Medical Center
  

• Adjunct Professor, Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Affiliate member, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center

Professional Affiliations

• Member, Society of Behavioral Medicine (Fellow, Board Member 2013-2016)

• Member, International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

• Member, American Public Health Association