The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) brings together California Community Colleges, California State University, University of California (UC) and representatives of private and independent colleges in California to share best practices in campus sustainability efforts. This conference focuses on the sharing of best practices and lessons learned from the people on the front lines of implementing sustainability efforts in California higher education. The conference took place virtually for the first time ever this year, July 6-10, 2020. Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) researcher Janice Kao presented on Wednesday, July 8 from 9:15-10:30 a.m. PDT on 'Improving the Healthfulness and Sustainability of UC Vending Machines' in collaboration with UCSF Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute 2019 summer student research fellow Isa Harrison. Kao and Harrison presented on the UC Healthy Vending Policy, sharing results from a multi-campus evaluation of the policy. The presentation slides are available online.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Society for Nutrition will host Nutrition 2020, their annual conference, virtually for the first time ever. The conference will take place online on June 1-4, 2020, and is completely free for attendees, who can join from anywhere in the world. Two Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) researchers will present their latest research as part of the virtual offerings. Marisa Tsai, NPI data analyst, will present two virtual abstracts titled 'Dimensions of School Food Environments and Their Association with Anthropometric and Dietary Outcomes in Children: The Healthy Communities Study' and 'Healthy Default Beverages in Kids' Meals: Evaluating Policy Adherence and Impact in California'. Hannah Thompson, NPI epidemiologist and an affiliated researcher with the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, will present an abstract titled 'The impact of a district-wide chocolate milk removal policy on secondary students' milk purchasing and consumption'. Dr. Thompson's abstract will also have an on-demand virtual presentation available. There is no set time schedule for the virtual abstract presentations. The abstracts will be available through the meeting's online schedule planner and mobile app. Individuals interested in attending Nutrition 2020 can register for free online.
Christina Hecht, senior policy advisor for the UC ANR Nutrition Policy Institute, was the keynote speaker at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Food and Nutrition Public Policy Day. The all-day event was hosted online on Monday, April 2020 by the CSUN Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics. The theme was 'Legislation for All', and attendees learned from a variety of experts about the critical food and nutrition issues affecting California communities as well as how to make an impact through advocacy and public policy.
Nutrition Policy Institute director and Cooperative Extension specialist, Lorrene Ritchie, was invited to give a talk on "Methodological challenges - self-report from key informants in diverse settings" as part of a national meeting hosted by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR). The meeting took place in Atlanta, Ga. with Ritchie presenting on Thursday, February 27, 2020. Launched in 2009, NCCOR brings together four of the nation's leading research funders—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—to accelerate progress in reducing childhood obesity in America. NCCOR focuses on efforts that have the potential to benefit children, teens, and their families, and the communities in which they live.
Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) researchers will attend and present at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Healthy Eating Research (HER) program's 14th annual grantee meeting in Denver, Colorado on March 3-4, 2020. Marisa Tsai, NPI data analyst, will present on "Dimensions of school food environments and anthropometric and dietary outcomes in children: The Healthy Communities Study. Gail Woodward-Lopez, NPI's associate director of research, will present on "Healthy Default Beverages in Children's Meals: Evaluating Policy Compliance and Impact Comparing Delaware and California". Tsai, along with Lauren Au, NPI associate researcher, Lorrene Ritchie, NPI director and Cooperative Extension specialist, and colleagues will also present a poster on their newly funded HER project, "Implementing and Evaluating the Impact for Children Ages 1 to 5 of Expanding the WIC Cash-Value Benefit for the Purchase of Fruits and Vegetables", which began in February 2020.
