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Jennifer Massa, DSc

Research Scientist
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Dr. Jennifer Massa, DSc, is a Research Scientist in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with more than 25 years of experience in public health, epidemiology, and nutrition science. Her career spans interdisciplinary work in environmental health, neuroepidemiology, and chronic disease prevention. Early in her career, she conducted research on occupational health risks at Harvard, UC Berkeley, and Johns Hopkins, including pivotal studies on the long-term health impacts faced by World Trade Center first responders. Dr. Massa earned her Doctor of Science degree in Epidemiology and Nutrition from Harvard, where she led population-based research exploring the relationships between diet, lifestyle, environmental exposures, and cancer outcomes in large-scale cohorts. As a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate, she focused on the role of environmental and viral exposures in the development of multiple sclerosis, as well as the impact of circadian disruption and sleep on cancer and other chronic diseases. Dr. Massa held an appointment as Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where she collaborated on clinical trials at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She now serves as Director of Research and Chair of the Research Committee for the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, where she leads multisite research initiatives to advance culinary and lifestyle medicine as preventive health strategies. Her current work also includes efforts to integrate nutrition education into medical school curricula and continuing education for practicing clinicians. Dr. Massa is a steering committee member for the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s inaugural initiative on Whole Person Health. A dedicated mentor, she has advised over 450 Harvard College students and continues to serve on the Harvard Board of Freshman Advisers. She lives in Cambridge, MA, where she enjoys running along the Charles River and nurturing her community garden.

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