Pursuing Sustainable Food Systems

Abby Reich is the Knowledge Mobilisation Manager for EatSafe, an international food safety program, at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The mission of GAIN is to increase access to safe, nutritious food, especially for those must vulnerable to malnutrition. Prior to joining GAIN, Abby was the Manager of Cross-Sector Engagement at Alliance for a Healthier Generation, where she spearheaded public-private partnerships focused on food and nutrition security. Abby has earned her Masters' in Public Health with a concentration in Food Systems from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Pedro Polanco is a Master of Health Sciences candidate in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Bloomberg School of Public Health where he is learning about food systems through the lens of public health. Prior to pursuing his MHS, Pedro earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, and then went on to serve as a Health Strategy Consultant at Accenture. There, he leveraged business analysis, market research, and financial modeling skills to help healthcare clients define and execute strategic imperatives. Pedro hopes to leverage his interdisciplinary background to reengineer broken food systems and address health disparities.

Carolyn is pursuing a PhD in Food Systems at the University of Vermont where she is a graduate fellow at the Gund Institute for Environment. Her research interests include better aligning health, agriculture and environment policy, food security, and bringing together diverse stakeholders in policy design and implementation. Prior to her graduate studies at UVM, Carolyn managed the food system policy program at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. She also worked for USAID as a strategic policy and program management specialist for the South and Central Asia region, and has worked across the western US in outdoor education and land use planning. She earned her BA in biology and chemistry from Bowdoin College and MPH in Global Environmental Sustainability and Health and a certificate in Food Systems, Environment, and Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.