December 2023: Center Representation
December 2023:
Center Representation
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“Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo
Senior Research Scientist Betsy Anderson Steeves, Adjunct Research Scientist Sarah Stotz, Postdoctoral Fellow Eliza Short and Project Manager Gretchen Groves attended the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) from October 7–10 in Denver, Colorado.
On October 9, Project Manager Gretchen Groves and Adjunct Research Scientist Sarah Stotz participated in the Food and Nutrition Security in Action: The Role of the RDN in Nutrition Incentive Programs panel. Moderated by Stotz, this discussion highlighted the value of nutrition incentive programs to improve food and nutrition security, and how dietetic practitioners can implement, evaluate and advocate for nutrition incentive programs while advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and access.
On October 10, Anderson Steeves co-presented Closing The Expectation Gap: Health Care and Food Bank Partnerships to Address Social Determinants of Health, which focused on how food banks play a leading role in connecting with research and healthcare to demonstrate the effectiveness of community partnerships that address malnutrition and low food security.
As the Membership Liaison of the Research Dietetics Practice Group, Short also attended FNCE and facilitated a member reception and networking event.
Pictured above (left to right): Project Manager Gretchen Groves, Sarah Stotz, Adjunct Research Scientist at the Center and Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University, Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt, Assistant Professor at the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University, and Lonni Byrd, Double Up Food Bucks Manager at Nourish Colorado. ”
“SNAP Healthy Eating Incentives Workshop
From October 10–11, Research Scientist Bailey Houghtaling attended the SNAP Healthy Eating Incentives Workshop at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, where she presented on the evaluation of Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) nutrition incentive projects. Hosted by Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute, this workshop was funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture conference grant and brought together partners interested in SNAP healthy eating incentives for two days of presentations and networking.Pictured above: Research Scientist Bailey Houghtaling presenting on the evaluation of GusNIP nutrition incentive projects.”
“Recruitment Events for SNAPI
Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks, Senior Research Scientist Courtney Parks, Associate Scientist Hollyanne Fricke, Research Associate Megan Reynolds, Research Associate Alexandra Shilen and Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) consultants Jaime Avila, Melissa Brown, Gisselle Caceres, Dana Cordy, Susan Eckert, Pamela Malo, Sha-Hanna Saffold, Justin Shanks and Emily Sklar have been working with partners in California, Colorado, Missouri, New York and Ohio to recruit participants into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Incentive (SNAPI) study, funded by University of Illinois - Chicago via Bloomberg. The Center’s Project Manager, Ashleigh Floyd Clark, has been coordinating logistics during recruitment events and travel.
The goal of SNAPI is to conduct a natural experiment to understand the impact of nutrition incentive programs supported by large scale federal policies on fruit and vegetable intake, total diet quality and food security among consumers with a limited income using a pre-post matched control design.
SNAPI aims to understand the impact that incentives have on healthy diets and food security in a fully powered intervention and control group. Thanks to the team, partners and participants for contributing to this important work! ”
“ObesityWeek/Obesity Society Conference
Unable to attend in person, Executive Director Amy Yaroch recorded a presentation for ObesityWeek® 2023 from October 14–17 in Dallas, Texas, where her talk was featured in a symposium session focused on laying the foundation to better understand the importance of targeting food and nutrition security. Yaroch’s presentation focused on the Walmart Foundation-funded food and nutrition security related measures, while other speakers highlighted the need to strengthen food programs and policies to address nutrition security, as well as research efforts focused on how nutrition security impacts health outcomes.”
“GusNIP Mini-Convening
Principal Research Scientist Chris Long, Project Manager for Produce Prescription Programs Elise Mitchell and GusNIP Program Advisor Melissa Akers attended the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Produce Prescription Mini-Convening from October 16–19 in Chicago, Illinois. Themed Bridging the Gap between Healthcare Organizations and Community-based Organizations, the event was led by the Nutrition Incentive Hub and promoted peer-to-peer learning, with a goal to share and cultivate new ideas for grantees to bring back to their home programs. ”
“Rural Child Health Summit
On October 17, Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks presented at the virtual 2023 Rural Child Health Summit on Policy, Systems and Environmental Strategies Generated by Participants to Support Family Food Security in Rural Communities. In this presentation, Byker Shanks shared results from a multi-year project about the policy, systems and environmental strategies which will make the greatest impact in supporting rural food security. These strategies were developed and prioritized with families and practitioners living in rural areas. This presentation was part of the Data Insights that Center Rural Community Voices session which underscored the importance of centering community voices in programs, interventions, and policies. This presentation is one deliverable from a Share Our Strength funded project that several Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) team members worked on, including Project Manager Shelly Palmer, Research Associate Emily Shaw, Graduate Research Assistant Paloma Lima Dos Santos, Project Manager Tony Gargano, Project Manager Whitney Clausen, and Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks. ”
“ASPEN Institute FIM Convening
Executive Director Amy Yaroch and Principal Research Scientist Chris Long virtually attended the East Coast Food is Medicine Convening organized by Aspen Institute on October 27, 2023. Multiple speakers described the GusNIP produce prescription program metrics as an important starting point on which to base common metrics for evaluations across the field of Food is Medicine. ”
“Milken Future of Health Summit
Executive Director Amy Yaroch attended the 2023 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from November 6–8 in Washington, D.C., where medical experts, leading scientists and political leaders advance work in key public health areas such food policy, health equity, chronic disease, mental health, scientific and technological innovation, and more. Dedicated to creating a healthier, more equitable and sustainable future for all, this event fosters innovative solutions and turns ideas into actionable policy. Yaroch also attended a Feeding Change Food is Medicine Task Force meeting. ”
“Colorado Food is Medicine Summit
Project Manager Gretchen Groves attended the Colorado Food is Medicine Summit on November 8 in Denver, Colorado. The event was hosted by Project Angel Heart, Kaiser Permanente, Food Bank of the Rockies and the Colorado Health Institute. At the event, more than 200 policymakers and practitioners from nearly 80 organizations came together to address improving health outcomes and increasing access to essential nutrition programs for all Coloradans. A highlight of the event was a panel on Expanding Access to Food is Medicine for All Coloradans, which included speakers from the GrowHaus, Spirit of the Sun and Food to Power – three Colorado-based grassroots food justice organizations doing incredible work to feed their communities.”
“APHA
Executive Director Amy Yaroch, Associate Director Leah Carpenter, Senior Research Scientist Eric Calloway, Senior Research Scientist Allison Magness Nitto, Adjunct Research Scientist Jennie Hill, Adjunct Research Scientist Sarah Stotz and Graduate Research Assistant Sueny Paloma Lima Dos Santos attended the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 12-15. This year’s theme, Creating the Healthiest Nation: Overcoming Social and Ethical Challenges, focused on building public health capacity and building stronger public health infrastructure to expand essential prevention and health promotion efforts at the community, state and federal levels.
November 12: To kick off the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact’s (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) participation at APHA, Hill co-moderated a poster session on food and nutrition security.
November 13:
- Hill, Calloway and Nitto along with Bagya Kodur from Michigan WIC and Cassidy White from the Council for State Governments (CSG) hosted a session titled, Lessons Learned from the WIC State and Local Agencies Adopting and Implementing Technology or Practice Innovations to Increase WIC Certification and Participant Satisfaction. The session was based on the recently completed WIC Special Project Innovation Grant (WSPI), funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), led by CSG with the Center serving as the evaluation partner. WSPI funded six projects from WIC State and/or local agencies to develop and implement innovations to improve customer service in WIC clinics and enhance the WIC certification process.
- Calloway presented a local WIC agency case study on improving web-based tools and language accessibility. This presentation aimed to show what motivated local agencies facing capacity limitations can do to address the needs of people who utilize WIC.
- Nitto’s presentation highlighted the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework that the Center used to assess the quantitative measures across the WIC certification improvement projects.
- Hill presented the findings from qualitative interviews with key staff in each WSPI subgrantee project. The lessons learned are relevant to practitioners considering the adoption or implementation of technology and/or practice solutions to support WIC staff and improve the experience with the WIC certification process. ”
“Pictured above (left to right): Senior Research Scientist Eric Calloway, Associate Director Leah Carpenter, Executive Director Amy Yaroch and Graduate Research Assistant Sueny Paloma Lima Dos Santos at APHA 2023.
November 14: In a food and nutrition poster presentation, Lima Dos Santos highlighted the Walmart Foundation-funded food and nutrition security related measures, with a focus on household resilience, defined as the ability to withstand financial shocks. This poster presentation demonstrated the relationship between household resilience capacities – absorptive, adaptive and transformative – and health outcomes.
November 15: Hill co-moderated a food and nutrition session which highlighted the pivotal role of Policies, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change approaches in shaping diet and food systems. Presentation topics in this session included the interconnectedness of healthcare and nutrition, the effect of sugar sweetened beverage tax on marketing, availability and consumer perception of beverage healthfulness, and the Mississippi Building Resilient Inclusive Communities initiative. ”
“Western Region Health Summit
Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks and GusNIP NTAE Consultant Program Advisor Kelli Wilson Begay attended the virtual Come to the Table: Western Region Health Summit. In a panel discussion on cross sector approaches to nutrition security, Byker Shanks elevated the impact that GusNIP is making nationwide and in the Mountain Plains Region and described how the GusNIP NTAE and Nutrition Incentive Hub supports this work. Following this, Wilson Begay’s talk touched on GusNIP grantees who primarily serve Tribal communities. This virtual event focused on the USDA Mountain Plains Region (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri) and presented an opportunity for national policymakers and public health experts to engage in dialogue about policy and program priorities that will lead to a healthier future for all Americans. ”
“ADA Conference
Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks attended the 2023 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Innovative Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies for Diabetes Prevention and Care in Underserved Communities from November 16–17 in Arlington, Virginia. During this conference, Byker Shanks participated in a panel discussion for ADA awardees and presented on the multi-level evaluation of Produce Prescription Projects on type 2 diabetes-related outcomes. See the study flyer for more information about the study, partners and team.Pictured above: Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks presenting the ADA conference.
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“Food as Medicine Policy Summit
Executive Director Amy Yaroch and Principal Research Scientist Chris Long attended the Food as Medicine Policy Summit from November 28–30 in Washington, D.C. Continuing the conversation from the previous Food as Medicine Policy Summit in May, this event brought together policymakers, executives in healthcare, experts from the food and beverage industry and non-profit leaders to discuss how to collaborate on Food as Medicine initiatives, push for policy change and expand access to Food as Medicine programs. Yaroch and Mallory Koenings, national program leader in the Division of Nutrition, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA (NIFA), co-presented GusNIP Spotlight on PPR which included Year 3 PPR program outcomes and resources available for Produce Prescription Program (PPR) grantees.Pictured above: Executive Director Amy Yaroch co-presenting on the GusNIP Year 3 PPR program outcomes at the Food as Medicine Policy Summit.
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“K-12 PLANTS RFA Sneak Peek and Launch Webinars
Associate Director Leah Carpenter presented at the Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) Grant October 30 webinar. This 30-minute webinar included an overview of funding opportunities, objectives, eligibility requirements and key upcoming dates. On November 29, Carpenter participated in the 60-minute informational launch webinar on the PLANTS Grant, which provided an overview of the funding opportunity, a deep dive into the PLANTS application and a Q&A session.
The PLANTS Grant application is now live. Visit the PLANTS Grant website for more information.”
“The Root Cause Coalition National Summit
Associate Director Leah Carpenter, Principal Research Scientist Chris Long and Project Manager Shelly Palmer attended the Root Cause Coalition’s 8th National Summit from December 3–5 in Kansas City, Missouri. Representatives from health systems, national and community nonprofits, academic institutions, local government and policy centers shared best practices on achieving health equity and worked together across service sectors to address systemic racism and the social determinants of health. During the Food is Medicine through a Social Determinants of Health Lens discussion and workshop session, Long presented on integrating social drivers of health into metrics for evaluating Food is Medicine (FIM) programs. During the poster presentation session, Palmer highlighted a recent landscape analysis of FIM interventions that the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) provided to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign to document the evolving array of FIM programs for pregnant people and identify six directions for future expansion.Pictured above (left to right): Project Manager Shelly Palmer, Associate Director Leah Carpenter and Principal Research Scientist Chris Long at the Root Cause Coalition National Summit.
Pictured above: Project Manager Shelly Palmer presenting a poster on the Center’s landscape analysis of Food is Medicine programs for pregnant people.”
