A Year of Progress
We're always pushing ahead to enrich our academic offerings and set the pace for innovation in the global food system. From new courses and programs in entrepreneurship scholarship to the expansion of the Tufts Food Lab activities, we're creating new pathways to a better world.
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82
Grant Funded Research Projects
311
Faculty Publications
2100
Alumni Making an Impact
249
Current Masters and PhD Students
Faculty Research Highlights
- USDA WIC Telehealth Innovations Project – Food and Nutrition Service - Assistant Professor Erin Hennessy
- Catalyzing Communities to Prevent Obesity: A Systems Approach (Phase II) – JPB Foundation - Professor, the New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition, and Chair of the Division of Nutrition Interventions, Communication, & Behavior Change Christina Economos
- Evaluation of a Civic Engagement Approach to Catalyze Built Environment Change and Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Rural Residents – NIH – Associate Professor Sara Folta
- Packaging and Disseminating the JOIN for ME Program in Low-income Settings - Centers for Disease Control – Professor of Nutrition Emerita and Research Professor Jeanne Goldberg
- TBF Physical Activity Evaluation –The Boston Foundation – Research Assistant Professor Daniel Hatfield
Other Activities
Professor Christina Economos (and Professor Susan Roberts) co-founded the Tufts Institute for Global Obesity Research (TIGOR). TIGOR fosters collaborations on topics relating to obesity across Tufts, with a focus on both domestic and global obesity. Over 50 faculty across Tufts are involved in this research collaborative.
Recent Examples of Research Projects
- Victory Against Malnutrition Plus (ViMPlus) – USAID - Professor Beatrice Lorge Rogers
- Assessment of GAIN’s Investment in the Delivery of Micronutrient Powder – Gates Foundation - Research Associate Professor Shibani Ghosh
- Title II Development Food Assistance Project for the D.R. Congo – Catholic Relief Services - Senior Researcher Merry Fitzpatrick
- Localization of Humanitarian Action in Indonesia – Save the Children - Research Assistant Professor Kimberly Howe
The Feinstein International Center completed their move to our Boston Campus from the main Tufts University Medford Campus this year. They also launched a new Strategic Report outlining their priorities and directions for the coming years.
They've created 24 publications (most of which include accompanying briefing papers and several of which have been translated into French and Arabic), conducted studies in 15 countries including Afghanistan, Chad, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Yemen, and the United States (Austin, Texas; Augusta, Maine; East Boston, MA; Concord, NH)
Awards for Researchers at Feinstein
- Kim Howe was awarded the Marie Sklowdowska-Curie Individual Fellowship to pursue the study of child marriage globally. She will be seconded to Save the Children Denmark for two years starting in November of 2019.
- Roxani Krystalli was awarded the “Best Blog” award in the individual category for her writing on Stories of Conflict and Love at the International Studies Association annual meeting in Toronto, Canada in March of 2019.
Recently Awarded Grants
- Dietary factors, biomarkers, metabolic pathways related to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – NIH - Assistant Professor Jiantao Ma
- Midlife in the US (MIDUS) – NIH - Research Assistant Professor Tammy Scott
- Efficacy of NutriCare Intervention on Optimizing Nutrition and Weight Status, Treatment Response and Quality of Life Among Lung Cancer Patients – NIH - Associate Professor Fang Fang Zhang
Faculty Honors
- Professor Simin Meydani - American Society for Nutrition 2019 Fellow, the Society’s highest honor. Professor Meydani is senior scientist and director of the Nutritional Immunology Laboratory at HNRCA.
- Professor Emeritus Jacob Selhub - American Society for Nutrition 2019 Robert Herman Memorial Award, Professor Selhub is former director of the HNRCA’s Vitamin Metabolism Laboratory. This Award is for great contribution to the advancement of clinical nutrition, particularly the biomedical and metabolic aspects of human nutrition.
Research and Activities
- New Entry Sustainable Farming recently completed a move to their new space and are consolidating teaching spaces, incubator farms and their Food Hub/CSA to the new location at the Moraine Farm in Beverly, Massachusetts.
- The Tufts Food Lab, led by AFE Division Chair and Associate Professor Tim Griffin and managed by Wendy Hebb continues to bridge agricultural science, nutrition science, and the culinary arts to develop projects and curriculum for public impact. They've also undertaken several initiatives this past year:
- Summer visitation program at Washington State University’s Bread Lab for 4 graduate students
- The new “Food Lab” fall course enrolled 18 students this year
- Creating a new Planning, Teaching, Cooking and Event Kitchen in our own school Café
- Harlem Lacrosse / Boston Pilot Nutrition Program for high school athlete mentorships of middle schoolers on healthy eating
Recently Launched Initiatives at the School
- Introduction of a graduate course in Nutrition Entrepreneurship
- A brand new Online Graduate Certificate: Nutrition for Industry Professionals and Entrepreneurs
- Workshops in ideation, marketing, legal/financial funding models
- Exclusive Q&A events with successful food & nutrition entrepreneurs
- Our Entrepreneurship Advisor group continues to grow and currently boasts 55 Entrepreneurial Advisors who are all highly successful business & social entrepreneurs across sectors.
- Students recently completed internships at Branchfood & Entrepreneurship Innovation Committee (Boston); InsideTracker (Cambridge); The Hatchery (Chicago)
2nd Annual Entrepreneurship Competition in April 2019
$25,000 in prizes were awarded to 3 winners across categories
- 1st Place Winner + Winner of the Audience Choice Award - Team Baravena Nayla Bezares and Silvia Berciano Benitez formulated a sustainable and nutritious whole oat vegan gelato in Latin American flavors.
- 2nd Place Winner - Sustag4all CEO, Luis Villegas, student at the Fletcher School (International Relations), food engineer Natalia Estrada, co-founder and COO, is a food engineer and human resources management graduate. The team also included members Rockford Weitz, JD, PhD, F02, FG08, Director of Maritime Studies Program at the Fletcher School; Jacquie Kay, PhD; Cesar Augusto, Avocado agronomist in Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Colombia; Jacob Weiss, graduate student at the Friedman School in the Agriculture, Food and Environment program; and Cyrena Thibodeau, graduate student at the Friedman School in the Agriculture, Food and Environment program. They'd developed a sustainable, market-enhancing platform for former Colombian rebels turned avocado farmers.
- 3rd Place Winner - Rootopia CEO and Friedman School alumna Michelle Markesteyn Ratcliffe, PhD, NG08 created a suite of programming to bring together art, science, and fun with the aim of raising healthy, happy kids.
Supporting Faculty and Research
So far in the Brighter World Campaign at Tufts University, the Friedman School has reached our campaign goal of 5 endowed professorships. One recent holder of a professorship is Sean Cash, the new Bergstrom Foundation Professor in Global Nutrition. In May he gave the inaugural Bergstrom lecture titled The Role of Consumer Research in Improving Global Nutrition.
Creating New Learning Opportunities for Students
- The Friedman School has initiated a full-scale curriculum review at the school to help identify the future needs of society in disciplines that are relevant to the school and to ensure that our graduates continue to possess the competencies and experiential learning opportunities that they will need to succeed after graduation.
- We are also excited to announce a recent $1.2 million endowed scholarship gift that will support doctoral students pursuing studies that focus on linkages between nutrition science and policy. The aim of this scholarship is to advance interdisciplinary streams of research and action.
- This generous gift also includes a $1.5 million research innovation fund with five-year support awarded to one team at the school in pursuit of a cross-disciplinary approach using rigorous science in the service of public impact.
Programs, Divisions, and Centers
In an effort to provide a clearer organizational structure and increased avenues for faculty development, this year we continued work on standardizing a structure within our faculty administration of 6 discrete divisions and centers.
These divisions align closely with their associated academic programs, sharing both research aims and educational goals. Core faculty are listed on the Friedman site according to their designated division(s).
This initiative is an important part of our School's strategic plan to help create and enable faculty leaders. The divisions and the center have experienced leadership at the helm and a combined passion to positively impact the global food system.
Nutrition Interventions, Communication, and Behavior Change
Led by Division Chair
Christina Economos
The Inaugural Jean Mayer Prizes
Highlights of the School’s 40th Anniversary celebration included remarks from Tufts President Monaco, a video tribute, panelist roundtable, and the awarding of the Jean Mayer Prize for Excellence in Nutrition Science and Policy to:
- U.S. Senator Tom Harkin
- Former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
- CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest)
- Mission: Readiness
Continuing Work on the Food Is Medicine Initiative
Read more about the Food is Medicine initiative and about the recent healthy food prescription study
Staff Recognition Program
The Friedman School’s own Staff Recognition program was launched this past year drawing 17 nominations for exemplary staff members. All nominees were feted and the winner announced in June 2019. We've also expanded the ways that people at Friedman can recognize their colleagues by launching a digital "Thank You" card system!
Daniel Schultz, Project Manager at CO180 won the Inaugural Staff Recognition Award for his outstanding work in expanding physical activity programs and his dedication to creating a healthier environment for children.
Renovations, Moves, and Upgrades
Renovations to our instructional and meeting spaces took place over the summer and were recently completed. These included:
- Important technical upgrades to the Behrakis Auditorium AV system to increase our capacity for teaching and events
- Renovated and newly furnished classrooms
- A newly configured student lounge & renovated spaces for doctoral students
- Major conference rooms (254 and 272), also received lighting upgrades
- The Feinstein International Center also completed their move to our Boston Campus location on Kneeland Street from the main Tufts University Medford Campus this year.
Committee on Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity
The SJID committee continued to provide guidance and training through events, surveys, and hiring manuals:
- Conducted survey to learn classroom practices and training/support needs
- Collaborated with Tufts Medical School on the Breaking the Silence symposium on Weight Bias
- Drafted faculty hiring manual with best practices for diversity and inclusion
- Developing guidance on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion when hiring staff
- Provided training on developing a personalized syllabus diversity statement
- Stay tuned for a series of three Dialogues on Diversity, funded by Bridging Differences grant, planned for 2020