Food Systems & Health

Food Systems and Why They Matter For Health

Food Systems students on a Aquaponics field trip

Food systems are much more than what people choose to eat and the effects of those choices on their bodies. Food systems start with what food can be produced and where it can be produced; how it can be harvested, stored, and processed; how it gets to market; and whether it is accessible, affordable and attractive. All these steps happen before someone walks down an aisle and chooses what to buy to eat. Food systems impact the long-term health of individuals and populations, the sustainability of the environment, and the wellbeing of people and animals.

Our students recognize that humans, plants, animals, and non-living parts of the environment such as climate and water, are inseparable when exploring food systems. This One Health approach prepares our graduates to address challenges from an ecological perspective, understanding that sustaining a nutritious worldwide food supply requires preserving natural resources, and that investing in the health of ecosystems can prevent foodborne diseases from spreading to human populations.

What We Offer

Our MPH Program prepares students in the Food Systems & Health concentration to address the health needs and inequities of our rapidly changing world and to build sustainable food system solutions. Through coursework and engaged projects our students learn to:

Analyze and depict food systems from production to consumption to understand their impact on health outcomes and inequities
Apply interdisciplinary approaches to integrate social, political, economic, and ecological dimensions to contextualize food systems and related health problems and opportunities
Research and evaluate food system interventions to improve nutrition, food security and public health
Investigate and communicate food safety risks throughout food systems
Analyze current public health nutrition problems and policies and compare policy alternatives

Food Systems & Health Curriculum

In addition to the MPH core curriculum, Food Systems & Health students will take the following concentration-specific courses:

Food Systems and Health

VTPEH 6121, 3 credits, Fall

The goal of this course is to introduce students to connections between food systems and health. The course uses concepts, theories and methods from multiple disciplines. Students explore the complex interconnections of food systems and public health needs and learn from interdisciplinary experts and professionals in the fields of local and international public health, economics, sociology, and environment.

Public Health Nutrition

VTPEH 6122, 3 credits, Spring

The goal of this course is to consider the three core public health functions of assessment, policy development and assurance, with specific application to public health nutrition. The course explores examples of these functions in the US and in other industrialized countries, as well as in multiple low and middle-income country settings, and provides tools for analyzing differences, similarities, and fit with context. Focal topics include the multi-faceted causes of nutritional problems, including social and environmental determinants, and trends in prevalence such as the nutrition transition and impacts on undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, to overweight and obesity.

Food Systems Approaches to Food Safety

VTPEH 6123, 3 credits, Fall

Every year, over 48 million people will experience a foodborne illness. In this course students learn how foodborne illnesses are investigated, and how out-breaks are traced through complex food systems back to the contaminated food. By conducting patient interviews, students gain practical experience in solving foodborne disease outbreaks. Students also contribute to preventing foodborne outbreaks in our community by working with local food processors to reduce food safety risks.

Outcomes

Identify food safety risks throughout specific farm-to-fork food systems
Describe the relevant disease surveillance systems and their roles in out-break surveillance and detection
Acquire practical investigation skills by collecting data for use in real-life foodborne disease investigations by performing patient interviews
Implement a root cause analysis to facilitate in foodborne disease outbreak investigations
Synthesize data of recent national foodborne disease outbreaks in order to develop educational materials to communicate food safety preventative measures to be used by local food processing communities to prevent food-borne disease outbreaks

Food Systems & Health Applications

VTPEH 6124, 3 credits, Spring

This course pushes students to apply the tenets of food systems, nutrition, and health to demonstrate proficiency in the core functions and essential services of public health. Students will explore real-world food systems and health challenges, and apply tools and strategies to explore risks and disparities, understand needs and opportunities, and propose reasonable and feasible solutions.

Lara Parilla, Cornell Community & Academic Partnership Manager (left), Ritza Francois, Cayuga Health's Food Access Coordinator (center), and Cornell MPH student Mainul Islam (right) promoting health at the Southside Juneteenth celebration

Diverse Career Pathways

Food Systems & Health graduates have gone on to work for government agencies, non-profits, research centers, and private corporations across the U.S. and around the world.

Many of our alumni continue to specialize in areas of the food system in their chosen career—for instance, directing food safety efforts for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, coordinating nutrition and food access programs for rural communities, analyzing a diabetes prevention program for a medical center, or lobbying for the National Milk Producers Federation.Others graduates apply the many transferable skills they gained from coursework and projects (such as systems thinking, data analysis, needs assessment, program design and evaluation, leadership, and cultural competence) to roles in other areas of public health—for instance, managing research informatics for a non-profit clinic focused on compassionate care, coordinating programs for a drug abuse prevention program, or analyzing healthcare data for a consulting company.While the majority of our graduates immediately enter the workforce as professional public health practitioners, approximately 25% go on to pursue additional degrees, such as a Registered Dietitian or a PhD in Community Health and Prevention.