Julia Wolfson, PhD

Julia’s research lies at the intersection of health policy and health behavior and centers on health behaviors, environmental factors, policies, programs, and interventions related to diet quality, food insecurity, and diet related disease prevention. The overarching goal of her work is to conduct interdisciplinary and innovative research that will contribute to social and policy change, support the creation of health promoting, equitable, and sustainable food systems, help develop and implement effective policies and interventions, and ultimately, improve the public’s health. Her research uses qualitative, quantitative, mixed, and community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods. She is especially interested in the role of home cooking skills and behaviors for diet quality, and has ongoing work focused on understanding and measuring food agency and developing and evaluating food agency/community cooking skills interventions. Other research focuses on contextual, environmental, and policy factors that influence food insecurity and diet quality. Nutrition assistance programs, particularly the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are another area of research interest. Ongoing research focuses on policies and programs to address food insecurity in the United States and elucidating the short- and long-term health consequences of food insecurity across the life course. Other work she has focused on away from home food environments includes chain restaurants, menu/food labeling, food access, and approaches to limit consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. Other areas of interest include efforts to promote more sustainable food systems, including by reducing meat consumption, and the diet and health implications of processed and ultra-processed foods. In the first phase of her career she was a professional chef in fine dining restaurants in New York City and Los Angeles.