Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, Ph.D., R.D.
Fellowship Year(s): 2016-2017
Profession: Nutritionist/Dietician
Specialty: Public Health
Fellowship Details:
Professor of Nutrition
The School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (SNHP) at Arizona State University
Sen Gillibrand (D-NY)
Arizona
At time of Fellowship
Punam Ohri-Vachaspati is a professor of nutrition at the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (SNHP) at Arizona State University, where she teaches graduate-level courses focused on survey research and obesity prevention. As a public health nutrition expert, Ohri-Vachaspati mentors students interested in exploring public health approaches for improving healthy food access, eating behaviors, and health outcomes. At SNHP, she created a new multidisciplinary master’s degree in obesity prevention and management and led an online course on health and wellness that attracted over 16,000 students from 185 countries.
Ohri-Vachaspati’s research examines the impact of policy and environmental change approaches on food access and physical activity opportunities in low-income, minority communities. For the past 10 years, her work has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among others. Currently, she is a dual Principal Investigator on an NIH/RWJF-funded 5-year longitudinal study in 4 low-income, high-minority cites in New Jersey. This study is tracking a cohort of more than 1,000 children over time to examine if changes in their environment result in changes in weight status and associated behaviors. In addition, Ohri-Vachaspati’s work examines policies and programs in schools and community settings. She has extensive experience in designing and implementing community-based nutrition interventions.
Ohri-Vachaspati has served on the editorial boards for the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition. She is also a registered dietitian and received her PhD and master’s degree from Tufts University School of Nutrition in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition. She completed her undergraduate education at University of Delhi, India.
Current Info:
Professor and Director
College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University
Health Disparities;Population Health;Public Health;Social Determinants of Health
Since Fellowship:
Punam Ohri-Vachaspati is a professor of nutrition at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, where she leads the ASU Food Policy and Environment Research Group. Her research examines social determinants of health, specifically, in low-income, minority communities. She studies the impact of federal, state, and local policies in shaping food and physical activity environments in school settings and in communities. Her work assesses relationship of access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity with health outcomes and associated behaviors. Her work has been funded by multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among others.
She has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition, and Nutrients. She teaches graduate-level courses and mentors students interested in exploring nutrition policy and public health approaches for improving healthy food access, eating behaviors, and health outcomes. In 2016-17, Dr. Ohri-Vachaspati completed the RWJF Health Policy Fellowship working on healthcare and nutrition issues in Senator Gillibrand’s (D-NY) office.
Dr. Ohri-Vachaspati is a registered dietitian and received her PhD degree from Tufts University School of Nutrition in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition. She completed her undergraduate education at University of Delhi, India.
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