Dania Orta-Aleman
Assistant Project Scientist
MPH Epidemiology/ Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley. 2017
BA Political Science, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM). 2012
Program Evaluation/ Nutrition Policy
Dania Orta-Aleman, PhD, MPH is a nutrition policy researcher whose work focuses on evaluating food assistance programs and public policies that influence food security, child health, and nutrition in the United States. Dr. Orta-Aleman earned her PhD in Human Nutrition from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a BA in Political Science from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).
Professional Experience
She is currently an Assistant Project Scientist at the Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, where she leads and collaborates on large-scale evaluations examining the implementation and impacts of Universal School Meals and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Her research integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess how nutrition policies affect household food security, school meal participation, stigma, diet quality, and student wellbeing.
Dr. Orta-Aleman has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on school meal policies, food insecurity, and nutrition program implementation, including studies published in journals such as American Journal of Preventive Medicine, JAMA Pediatrics, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Her work provides empirical evidence to inform federal and state decision-making on school meal programs and other nutrition assistance initiatives.
Dr. Orta-Aleman’s previous work spans research on food systems, maternal and child health, and international nutrition programs. She has collaborated with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Hopkins/USDA Participant Research Innovation Laboratory for Enhancing WIC Services. Earlier in her career, she coordinated large-scale health and nutrition surveys in Mexico City and contributed to the evaluation of nutrition components of Mexico’s Prospera/Oportunidades conditional cash transfer program.
She currently serves on the Board of Editors of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Research Interests and Expertise
Her methodological expertise includes causal inference, quasi-experimental impact evaluation, mixed-methods research, systems approaches, nutrition epidemiology, and qualitative data analysis. She has extensive experience designing and implementing multi-state policy evaluations, developing survey instruments and qualitative interview protocols, and translating research findings into policy-relevant reports and peer-reviewed publications.