Anna Grummon, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University

Research Description: Every year, 500,000 Americans die from preventable diseases caused in part by unhealthy diets. Directed by Dr. Anna H. Grummon, the mission of the Stanford Food Policy Lab is to design and evaluate policies and interventions that improve diet, promote environmental sustainability, and advance health equity. We work with policymakers, advocates, and other changemakers to ensure we are asking and answering the research questions that key stakeholders most need to be addressed. Our multidisciplinary work leverages randomized trials, quasi-experiments, qualitative interviewing, and simulation modeling to design and evaluate food policies. We work in several domains including food and beverage labeling policies, sugary drink taxes, alcohol warnings, food assistance programs, and retail-based interventions. Our work has shown that well-designed food policies can encourage people to eat healthier foods, spur retailers to offer healthier options, reduce the environmental impacts of food production, improve population health outcomes, and narrow racial/ethnic and income-based health disparities. We collaborate extensively with many members of the NORC.