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On January 25, 2024, we will kick off the new year with a webinar presented by Dr. Cristin Kearns, Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry and Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. In this webinar, Dr. Kearns will frame dental caries prevention as not just as a health issue, but as a contested political issue influenced by powerful vested interests. She will demonstrate ways in which the sugar industry has influenced dental professionals and will make recommendations related to increasing engagement in advocacy.
Later in the new year, we look forward to hosting a Persuasive Narrative Series workshop for Fellows in southern California in April 2024. Led by Brown Miller Communications, this workshop will offer an opportunity to draw from clinic experiences to craft compelling messages that influence policy, systems, and environmental change. Mark your calendars for our annual Mini College, scheduled to take place on May 22, 2024 in San Diego, CA.
Wishing you all a happy holiday season!
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In Health and Solidarity,
Wagahta Semere, MD, MHS
Fellowship Director & Associate Professor
UCSF School of Medicine
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Reminder! Find articles and resources related to your area(s) of interest by clicking on the icon(s) that correspond to our five focus areas, below:
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Beyond the Chair: Dentists as Advocates for Improving Overall Patient Health
By: Dr. Arlet Arratoonian
Champion Provider Fellow (Cohort 5, Los Angeles County)
Jasmine, a first-generation immigrant from the Middle East, was one of the first patients I cared for when I transitioned from private practice to public health dentistry. She had only been in the States for a few years and was raising three children, including a 17-year-old son with developmental delays. She was computer savvy and her ability to navigate complex systems, including medical and dental care, was impressive. When I met Jasmine, it appeared that she had everything under control.
Read more.
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Dr. Maxmillian Chambers (Cohort 5, Imperial County) (left)
Dr. Maxmillian Chambers provided professional input to update the Westmorland Union Elementary School District's School Board - Wellness Policy.
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Reminder! Brown·Miller Communications is here to help you!
Need help with message development, op-ed support, or preparing for an interview? Make sure to contact Mike Miller or Muriel Bañares of Brown·Miller Communications. They provide a multitude of media and communication services to Champion Provider Fellows and local health departments. Send them an email to find out how they can help you!
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*Champion Provider Listserv*
Collaborate & communicate with Champion Provider
Fellows across the state about your community change efforts.
NOTE: Please do not use the listserv to promote lobbying efforts or to discuss patient care.
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United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Invests $4.8 Million in Community Food Projects
Through a network of stakeholders from various parts of the food system, community food projects increase communities’ food and nutrition security by supporting people through small to medium farmers, producers and processors in urban, rural, tribal, and insular areas. The program provides communities with a voice in food system decisions and supports local food markets to fully benefit the community, increase food and nutrition security and stimulate local economies.
Read more here.
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Note: Materials included in this section are for reference and information purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the federal government, California Department of Public Health, or the University of California, San Francisco.
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FOOD Rx REPLICATION GUIDE: For Health Centers
National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc. (NCFH)
Food Rx programs can provide three main benefits to Health Centers: improved social determinants of health for patients, lowered healthcare costs, and an increased sense of trust between the patient and health center. In interviews conducted with staff at Pasadena Health Center, located in Houston, TX, one of the greatest improvements they noted was the increase in trust between the patient and provider. Food Rx programs can allow patients to see a health center as a trusted partner in improving their health and providing support. NCFH has developed this Food Rx replication guide with the purpose of helping health centers to be able to implement their own Food Rx programs.
Download the guide here.
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2023 Annual Report - State of Childhood Obesity
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) works to understand and remove structural barriers to health and wellbeing, including those driven by racism and discrimination. This report is a collection of research findings and perspectives offering insights about how stigmatizing words and practices impact our health and highlights promising strategies for advancing more powerful narratives that support health and wellbeing for all.
Read and download the report here.
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Food Environments Within and Outside of Schools Play a Critical Role in Curtailing the Rise in Obesity among School-Aged Children over Time
Ohri-Vachaspati, P., Acciai, F., Melnick, E. M., Lloyd, K., Martinelli, S., DeWeese, R. S., DiSantis, K. I., Tulloch, D., DeLia, D., & Yedidia, M. J. The Journal of Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.09.027
The aim of the study was to assess the association between school and community food environments and the prevalence of obesity over time. Obesity rates were higher in schools that had nearby access to a greater number of limited-service restaurants and lower in schools with access to small grocery stores and upgraded convenience stores participating in initiatives to improve healthful offerings. Interaction analysis showed that schools that offered unhealthier, competitive foods experienced a faster increase in obesity rates over time. The findings suggest that food environments within and outside of schools are associated with differential obesity trajectories over time and can play an important role in curtailing the rising trends in childhood obesity.
Read the article here.
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Public Health Institute Study: Participants in Food as Medicine Program Showed Clinically Significant Improvements in Managing Diabetes.
Public Health Institute (PHI). (2023)
A study of Abbott’s Healthy Food Rx, a food as medicine program that provides home-delivered medical prescriptions of healthy food to help address diabetes, showed clinically important benefits for people with diabetes. The real-world study, which was conducted by the Public Health Institute’s Center for Wellness and Nutrition (PHI CWN) in a community clinic in Stockton, CA over a 12-month period, found that Healthy Food Rx participants experienced a decrease in their Hemoglobin A1C levels, improved diabetes self-management, and improved overall diet quality and food security.
Read more about the study here.
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Putting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans into Action through the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
Fischer, R., Piercy, K. L., de Jesus, J. M., Reed, P., & Levine, R. L. (2023). Journal of Food Law & Policy, 19(1).
The United States is facing a crisis of widespread food insecurity and exceedingly high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. To address this challenge and set a course for improved nutrition and food access nationwide, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years on September 28, 2022. In the National Strategy, released in conjunction with the Conference, the Administration identified a set of actions that the federal government will take to help achieve its goal of ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity by 2030, so that fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases. Underpinning many of these actions is the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provides scientific advice on nutrition intake to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease and serves as the cornerstone of federal food and nutrition programs. This manuscript details how expanded implementation of the Dietary Guidelines can help advance actions in the National Strategy and achieve the goals of the Administration.
Read the article here.
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Congressional District Health Dashboard
Most data on health, the drivers of health, and health equity are organized at the county, state, or, more recently, city level. In contrast, data about the health of people living in congressional districts is difficult to find. The Congressional District Health Dashboard, developed by the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, equips users with first-of-its-kind comprehensive data on health and the conditions that affect health in every congressional district across the country. Dashboard data capture a range of domains including health outcomes, social and economic factors, health behavior, physical environment, and clinical care.
View the dashboard here.
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