PEOPLE

Roni Neff, PhD, SM – Principal Investigator

CV | Faculty Profile | ORCID

I am an associate professor in Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), and Senior Advisor to the school’s Center for a Livable Future (CLF). Over the past 17 years I have had the chance to work at the forefront of efforts at the nexus of food systems and public health, and have contributed to building the field.

My research, practice and education activities advance resilient, equitable, and healthy food systems, with particular emphasis on wasted food and food system resilience. As a social scientist, I primarily use qualitative, survey, and policy research tools. I co-direct three academic training programs at the JHSPH: the PhD program in Environmental Sustainability, Resilience and Health, MPH Concentration in Food Systems, and Certificate Program in Food Systems & Public Health. I edited the widely-used textbook, Introduction to the US Food System: Public Health, Environment, Equity. Prior to returning to academia, I worked for a decade in public health practice, in two community based organizations, one local government, and a policy advocacy organization. I studied at JHSPH (PhD), the Harvard School of Public Health (SM), Brown University (AB), and Hunter College High School. And…for fun I crochet and knit (a lot), try to keep up with the weeds in my garden, and dream of a better world.

Kaitlyn Harper, PhD, MSc, MA – Postdoctoral Fellow

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Kaitlyn Harper (she/her) is a postdoctoral researcher in EHE. She graduated from the JHSPH Department of International Health, Human Nutrition Program in 2022. She holds a MSc in Public Health from the University of British Columbia and MA in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University, and she was formerly a high school biology teacher.

Kaitlyn’s research broadly focuses on evaluating policies and programs related to improving food security and reducing food waste. She uses community-based participatory methods and approaches her research and community work using a racial equity perspective. Kaitlyn leads the Youth Food Security Network, a partnership between the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success and HeartSmiles, a local nonprofit organization. Outside of work, she’s a self-proclaimed hobbyist and enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, spikeball, and board games; doing pottery; snuggling her cats; and making (and eating!) pizza. 

Margarita Cozzan, MSH, RDN – DrPH Student, Research Assistant

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Margarita (she/her/ella) is a DrPH student in the custom track and research assistant with the CLF.

Since 2009, she has been a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist in a variety of settings and an adjunct instructor of nutrition. Most recently, she led Feeding America’s demographics & service utilization research initiative for the state of New Mexico at Roadrunner Food Bank and was named the 2022 Emerging Dietetic Leader of the Year by the New Mexico Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. Margarita is a second-generation immigrant with indigenous South American heritage and is passionate about food and nutrition security and preserving cultural foodways in the face of climate change and globalization. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering in her local food system. Margarita lives in San Diego, California with her husband, where together they enjoy sharing their mutual love of movement and nature, especially the ocean, with their son.

Tennetta Hazard, MPH, MS, REHS – DrPH Student

Tennetta Hazard is a Doctor of Public Health student in the Environmental Health track at the JHSPH. Tennetta has worked for almost 10 years in the environmental health field both internationally and domestically to improve the well-being of communities through public health education and food safety.

While employed with the state department of agriculture, Tennetta was nominated and won the 2021 distinguished service award from the Michigan Environmental Health Association for contributions made to the field of environmental health, and for her demonstrated passion for the field.As a current toxicologist staff officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Tennetta revises and creates food safety policy for industry and sampling instructions for FSIS inspectors, ensuring the nation’s meat, poultry and egg products are safe. Tennetta is also a project manager for FSIS, serving on multiple workgroups that address chemical hazards, food safety at retail, food waste, and the safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. Tennetta has led projects on continuous improvement and Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in retail foods, and work alongside the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) retail food protection team to harmonize the FDA Food Code.

Tennetta has served on the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee at both the local and state levels and is excited to continue this work at the federal level as part of the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee (EEOAC). In her free time, Tennetta enjoys spending time with her family and seeking new challenging hobbies that expands her knowledge and skills.

Hyomin Lee – PhD Student

Hyomin Lee is a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Advised by Dr. Roni Neff, she is in the Environmental Sustainability, Resilience, and Health track. Hyomin earned a Master of Science degree in Food and Nutrition Policy and Programs from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clark University. 

She is passionate about using scientific evidence to guide food systems policy to improve health and equity. Her current research interest is in reducing food loss and waste, particularly in preventing wasted food. She is also broadly interested in food systems and built environment. During her free time, she likes to cook, bake, and hike.

Matthew Lindsley – DrPH Student

ORCID | LinkedIn | Hobart Farm | USPHS | Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

Matthew Lindsley is a DrPH student in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering and is a trainee of the Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health. Matt completed his BSN in 2005 from Northeastern University and first worked as a graduate nurse in a rural farming community in Peru as a Peace Corps volunteer.

While pursuing a MSN/MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and JHSPH, he co-founded Hobart Farm in Hanover, PA. In 2019 he commissioned into the United States Public Health Service where he works with brain and spine tumor patients at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. He was awarded a year long fellowship in 2022 through the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments to learn how nurses can mitigate climate change. Matt’s research interests include food system equity, farmworker rights, and farm to institution programs. He enjoys physical activity, photography, film production, growing vegetables, raising chickens, and caring for his goats, dogs and cats. 

Elsie Moore, MPH – PhD Candidate

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Elsie Moore, MPH, is a PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the BSPH and a research assistant at the CLF on the Resilience Project. Her research focuses on understanding equitable strategies that advance sustainable food systems.

Before her Ph.D., Elsie worked on a multi-country collaboration on the role of academic institutions in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Elsie earned her MPH from the Yale School of Public Health, where her research and practice concentrated on the health impacts of climate change, and BA from Occidental College. Outside of school, Elsie loves all things outdoors (hiking, biking, kayaking, etc.) and hanging with her dog, Annie.

Sarah Reinhardt, MPH, RDN – DrPH Student

Sarah Reinhardt, MPH, RDN, is a Social Science Policy Analyst at the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, where she analyzes data to evaluate the impacts of child nutrition programs. Prior to joining the USDA, Sarah worked at the Union of Concerned Scientists applying nutrition science and public health research methods to generate policy recommendations in service of a more healthful, equitable, and sustainable food system.

Sarah received her Master of Public Health at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in public health at the BSPH with a focus in health equity and social justice. In her free time, Sarah enjoys hiking, running, and reading a good book with a glass of wine.

Ava Richardson – DrPH Student

Ava currently serves as the sustainability director for Baltimore City where she works with a team of climate, sustainability and public health leaders seeking to make Baltimore more sustainable, more equitable and more resilient.

During her time with the city, Ava has led projects including citywide food waste reduction and diversion efforts, the implementation of a citywide plastic bag ban and currently oversees a broad portfolio of climate change adaptation, mitigation work. She is also a CLF-Lerner Fellow, currently obtaining a Doctorate of Public Health with a focus on environmental health and engineering from The BSPH. Her research focuses on food waste reduction in urban areas, exploring the behavior change triggers and regional structures needed to support sustained food waste diversion. Ava is an avid biker, an upcycler always looking for new ways to reuse or repurpose old items – supporting the reuse economy. 

Caitlyn Ceryes, PhD, MPH, RN – Assistant Professor, Towson University

ORCID | Google Scholar  | LinkedIn | ResearchGate

Caitlin Ceryes was Roni’s doctoral advisee from 2017-2022 at the JHSPH. She is now an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Towson University. 

During her time as Roni’s advisee, Caitlin developed a rich research portfolio focusing on exploring environmental exposures in the workplace, particularly among food workers, and their implications for social and economic equity, disaster preparedness, and environmental sustainability.  You can hear more about this work and her professional journey on the JHU Public Health On Call podcast.  Her ongoing research contributes to a growing the evidence base for work and environmental factors as social determinants of health, and identifies opportunities for building safer, healthier workplaces. Caitlin was a CLF-Lerner Fellow from 2018 – 2022, earned her MPH from JHSPH in 2016, and received her BS in Nursing from Villanova University in 2009.  She loves gardening and is currently “rewilding” her Baltimore City yard to be a better habitat for animals and insects, including her two Italian honeybee colonies.

Joelle Robinson-Oghogho, MPH, PhD

ORCID

Joelle’s research interest involves applying progressive methodological tools and measures to assess the impact of community-led approaches and interventions to inform public health policies and approaches. Her research falls under the umbrella of advancing equity in chronic disease prevention and control; including topics of food access, dietary behaviors, tobacco prevention, and cancer care. 

She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Spelman College, and her master’s in public health degree from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Prior to beginning her doctoral training, she worked in local and federal government including the Food and Drug Administration, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), and the DC Department of Health Community Health Administration. Joelle is the founder and principle of Rodia consulting collaborative and works in community with black farmers and organizers on food sovereignty, food security, and food justice issues within the District of Columbia and the Mid-Atlantic region. She co-developed SouthEats, a cooperatively owned healthy meal-delivery business currently being piloted in Washington DC. She worked with Dr. Neff as a research assistant on the national NFACT Study that sought to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access and food security.  

Emma Moynihan, MPH PhD

ORCID

Emma was a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health & Engineering in the Exposure Sciences and Environmental Epidemiology track. She received her MPH from JHSPH in 2018 and worked as a student research assistant at CLF since 2017.

She is specifically interested in the impacts of climate change on the etiology and transmission of diseases. Her research combines mathematical modeling, spatial statistics, exposure assessment, and environmental epidemiology to evaluate these impacts on the food system and occupational health. Prior to graduate school, Emma was a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia, which propelled her passion for public health. She also has consulting experience working on multiple surveillance programs on behalf of the CDC and state governments. When not working, Emma enjoys running, reading mysteries, and unabashedly listening to a lot of Taylor Swift.

Jane Lloyd, BCapSc, MA, MPH

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For three decades Jane has played key roles at leading food and environmental organizations in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In her most recent role in the World Resource Institute’s Food, Forests, Water and Ocean programs, she co-led development of their commodities, and finances program. 

Jane’s interests are at the intersection of food systems, climate change, public health, and public policy. She has been researching food system resilience policies, strategies, and guidance, and has developed comparative methodology to inform evidence-based policymaking and how sustainable food systems affect health and nutrition.

Cristina Lee, MPH

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Cristina Lee is a public health professional dedicated to strengthening sustainable food systems, preventing diet-related chronic diseases, and advancing food equity. As a Research Assistant at the CLF, she examined the relationship between food insufficiency and stringency policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is also studying the impact of sustainable diets on nutritional and environmental outcomes at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Cristina has a Master of Public Health from JHSPH and BSc in Pharmacy-Biochemistry from Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. Prior to coming to Johns Hopkins, she was a data analyst at the NYC Department of Education strengthening the implementation and monitoring of projects to improve school meal nutrition and supply chain operations. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, visiting museums, and jewelry making.