Faculty Arrivals and Achievements

Open Faculty Position!

We’re currently looking for faculty to expand research, teaching and impact in any field addressing disparities related to agriculture, food systems and health.

Welcoming New Faculty

This year we welcomed four new members to the already stellar faculty at the Friedman School. From domestic food policy veterans and humanitarian experts to nutrition scientists and specialists in climate change, the foundations of the school's inter-disciplinary approach to food and nutrition have only grown stronger.

Mei Chung - Associate Professor, Division of Nutrition Epidemiology and Data Science

a portrait photo of Mei Chung

Areas of expertise: Microbiome, Data Science, Systematic Reviews

Mei Chung has more than a decade of experience conducting complex systematic reviews to support policy and guideline developments.  Her analyses have informed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s clinical guidelines; coverage decisions for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act; and nutrition recommendations, such as the Dietary Reference Intake values and Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

She received funding from the World Health Organization (WHO) to conduct scoping reviews and subsequent systematic reviews to support the work of updating the Food and Agriculture Organization/WHO nutrient requirements for children aged 0 – 36 months. Dr. Chung also has expertise in developing new methods and adapting existing methods of evidence synthesis and stakeholder engagement in research to facilitate the translation of evidence to policy.

Erin Coughlan de Perez - Dignitas Associate Professor, Feinstein International Center

a portrait photo of Erin Coughlan de Perez

Areas of expertise: Climate Change, Climate Risk Management, Humanitarian Response Planning

Erin Coughlan de Perez bridges science, policy, and practice in her research on climate risk management around the world.  She works with humanitarian teams on the development of early action protocols to avoid disaster impacts, and she researches the adoption and effectiveness of climate change adaptation measures. 

She comes to the Friedman School and the Feinstein Center from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, where she built a global climate science team and led the first Forecast-based Financing pilots in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. She is still with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre as a Technical Advisor.

Secretary Dan Glickman - Adjunct Professor

portrait photo of secretary dan glickman

Areas of expertise: Domestic Food Policy, Advocacy, Government Relations

After March 2021, Secretary Glickman retired after a decade of service as  Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of The Aspen Institute Congressional Program. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center where he is co-chair of its Democracy Project. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, he served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the Clinton Administration.

He was appointed by former Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack as the Chair of the newly created Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, currently serving on their board. He also represented the 4th Congressional district of Kansas for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives where he was very involved in federal farm policy on the House Agriculture Committee.

Since his arrival this year, Secretary Glickman has been looking forward to teaching in courses, mentoring students, serving on doctoral committees, and contributing to promotion of healthy, equitable food and nutrition through research, policy development, and advocacy. Watch the March 2021 event he headlined with Tisch College on Food, Nutrition Security, Equity & Health in America.

Paul Howe - Professor of the Practice, Director of the Feinstein International Center

portrait photo of Paul howe

Areas of expertise: Climate Change, Climate Risk Management, Humanitarian Response Planning

Paul Howe has a deep knowledge of the humanitarian world, having served with the World Food Programme (WFP) for more than 17 years. Most recently, Paul was the WFP Country Director in Nigeria, and prior to that, acting Country Director and Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan as well as the Chief of WFP’s Emergencies and Transitions Unit. Even while serving as a senior leader in WFP, Paul kept up his research and publication activities, including two influential articles published in World Development: “Famine systems: A new model for understanding the development of famines” and  “The triple nexus: A potential approach to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals?” Paul holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a master’s degree from Princeton University, and a doctoral degree from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex.

Paul recently shared, “I am excited to join the Feinstein International Center at this critical time when the world has committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals but faces a range of humanitarian crises that are impeding efforts to attain them. I look forward to working with the wonderful Feinstein team to continue to produce innovative research, offer engaging teaching, and provide practical policy advice that will support the broader efforts to achieve the SDGs and make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable people.”

a photo mosaic of faculty at the Friedman School

Faculty and Research Achievements

Our faculty and researchers have been incredibly productive and impactful over the past year, an exhaustive list could fill an entire website on its own, but we're offering some highlights that illustrate the incredible range and dedication of the Friedman Community. This annual report typically covers activities between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 with some exceptions.

› HNRCA scientist and Division of Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition faculty member Roger Fielding was awarded the Herbert Fleisch Medal by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) for his outstanding and innovative contribution in basic, clinical or translational musculoskeletal research​

› Chris Economos was awarded the 2021 Presidential Faculty Award for Civic Life that recognizes the civic impact of Dr. Economos’ research at Tufts University​

› Chris Economos and Erin Hennessy received a $2 million grant from The JPB Foundation this spring entitled Catalyzing Communities to Promote Child Health Equity​, the website for this project launched in February 2021.

› Nicole Blackstone led a team of investigators who received the $1.3 million Research Award for Interdisciplinary Research for the project Leading A Sustainability Transition In Nutrition Globally​

› Sean Cash, Patrick Webb, Bea Rogers, Elena Naumova, Will Masters, and Shibani Ghosh are part of a large $100 million dollar Tufts-led project STOP Spillover, a global consortium of experts taking steps to understand and address the risks posed by known zoonotic viruses that have potential to spill over and cause pandemic crises.​

› Jennifer Coates is serving as co-chair of the WHO/UNICEF Technical Expert Advisory Group on Global Nutrition Monitoring and as Chair of the group’s Diet Quality Measurement Working Group​

› Friedman School Dean, Dariush Mozaffarian, with external collaborators José Andrés and Sheila Fleischhacker, wrote a JAMA Viewpoint on prioritizing the concept of “Nutrition Security,” including the push to create a National Institute of Nutrition, has been featured in multiple media outlets and has emerged as one of the new health priorities at the NIH​. Mozaffarian’s recent testimony in a hearing on the State of Nutrition in America 2021 is a direct result of the larger push for increased investment in national nutrition.

› Elena Naumova published a manuscript on ‘Providing food and nutrition services during the COVID-19 surge at the Javits New York Medical Station‘, resulting in the development of the ‘Nutrition Response Toolkit for Humanitarian Crises‘ designed to serve as a low-cost operation tool for establishing field hospital nutrition services.​ She also published research on seasonal outbreaks of food borne illnesses in Nature, an article on the visualization of food borne illness data, and an editorial in the Journal of Public Health Policy on public health inequities and data.

› Patrick Webb was appointed by the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) to the Steering Committee of the High Level Panel of Experts (HPLE)

Read more about 2021 American Society of Nutrition participation from faculty and students: https://nutrition.tufts.edu/news/asn-2021-nutrition-online

› Announcing our own Friedman School Faculty Award winners, Eileen Kennedy and Sean Cash