PhD Student
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Elise is a second-year Population Health Science PhD student studying Public Health Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research interest focuses on the intersection of food security, diet quality and chronic disease prevention. She studies ways population-level programs and policies can improve food security and diet quality equitably, with a focus on federal nutrition programs and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) specifically. She is interested in policy evaluation and implementation science to understand how implementers – nationally at the USDA down to local agencies and community based organizations- can maximize the effectiveness of existing programs and new initiatives that can prevent diet-related diseases. She also examines the mechanisms between food insecurity and poor health outcomes. Elise is a registered dietitian nutritionist by training and before starting the PhD, managed a SNAP-matching nutrition incentive program at a local health department for three years. This on-the ground experience influences her research goals of conducting actionable research that is accessible to practitioners.