Who We Are

The Natural State Consortium for Food and Health (NSCFH) is comprised of individuals working in community health, academia, agriculture, policy, and business dedicated to facilitating and funding cross-sector and cross-disciplinary research and initiatives on food and nutrition that lead to improved health.

History

The Natural State Consortium for Food and Health (NSCFH) was developed with initial seed funding awarded through the Chancellor’s Fund for Innovation and Collaboration at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Sabrina Trudo, Associate Professor of Nutrition, is the founding director and worked with a steering committee in development of the NSCFH. The steering committee was comprised of Erin Parker, J.D., LL.M. (Research Director and Staff Attorney – Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative), Brinck Kerr, Ph.D. (Director, Public Policy Program, University of Arkansas), Colby Duren, J.D. ( Director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative) and Abby Long (Graduate Assistant, Public Policy PhD Program, University of Arkansas). An Advisory Body comprised of members from community, corporate, and academic sectors was established in 2020.

Director

Sabrina Trudo

Dr. Trudo, RD, is the 21st Century Endowed Chair in Human Environmental Sciences and an Associate Professor of Human Nutrition in the School of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Prior to her arrival at the UofA, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Trudo holds a PhD from the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Washington where she also earned a certificate in Public Health Genetics. Her research focuses on the impact of diet on color cancer prevention, gene-diet interactions (nutritional genomics), and nutrition and psychosocial regulation.

Dr. Trudo is dedicated to leveraging her work to advance public health and well-being. She is currently focused on improving health in Arkansas through NSCFH, an undertaking that holds promise not only for the state but also the national and global community. Dr. Trudo is also passionate about building the next generation of leaders, particularly those interested in combating health disparities, both locally and worldwide.

Advisory Board

Donna Davis – PhD, Senior Manager, Employee Social Responsibility for Upward Academy; Corporate Social Responsibility, Tyson Foods. An expert in environmental dynamics with a focus on climate change and its impact on the Marshall Islands.

Brink Kerr – PhD, Director of Interdisciplinary Public Policy Ph.D. Program, University of Arkansas. He focuses on representation and public policy.

Melisa Laelan – Founder and Executive Director of Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese.

Zola Moon – PhD, Independent Consultant in Social Science Research, a sociologist with an emphasis in rural sociology.

Erin Parker – JD, LLM, Interim Director, Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, University of Arkansas, an expert in food and agricultural policy.

Mike Thomsen – PhD, Director, Center for the Study of Obesity, UAMS. He focuses on the food marketing system and human health, including the effect of the commercial food environment on childhood obesity.

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