Susie Nanney, Ph.D.

Susie Nanney is an associate professor at University of Minnesota, where she serves as director of the population health division. She is the founding director of the Health Equity in Policy Initiative for the Program in Health Disparities Research, which aims to bridge persistent communication gaps among researchers, communities, and policy makers. She also cofounded and codirects the Department’s HEAL (Healthy Eating and Activity across the Lifespan) Program, integrating research, clinical practice, community resources, and policy.

Nanney’s research focuses on obesity prevention interventions, nutrition policy research, hunger relief, and health disparities. She has over 15 years of experience conducting studies in partnership with community-based organizations in a variety of settings. Her recent funded research includes evaluating food and physical activity policies and practices in preschools, secondary schools, and community colleges and the health behaviors and weight of youth in attendance; creating a healthier, more accessible school breakfast program in rural high schools; improving and measuring the quality of foods available in the emergency food system; and working with stakeholders to connect underserved communities with decision makers on safe routes to school and active transportation planning.

In 2015, Nanney was appointed by the Minnesota Commissioner of Health to serve as a research member representative to the Cultural and Ethnic Community Leadership Council for the Department of Human Services. She has a MS in community nutrition from Eastern Kentucky University, an MPH and PhD from Saint Louis University School of Public Health in behavioral science and community health, and is a registered dietitian. (Updated (09.01.16)