Applied research and evidence to support the transition to a healthy, sustainable and equitable food system

This lecture is hybrid.

Location: Room 409, 149 College Street, 4th floor 

Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 848 9313 7243
Passcode: 162083
 

Abstract

The global food system is a structural determinant of population health with serious implications for planetary health. The existing food system is failing to deliver adequate diets for the world’s populations, with dietary patterns becoming increasingly unhealthy, unsustainable and inequitable for many. Dietary risk factors make a substantial contribution to the global burden of disease, and food system activities from production to disposal drive considerable environmental degradation including greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and biodiversity loss. In order to assure a healthy, sustainable and equitable future, system-level change is required. From a research perspective, supporting this transition will involve collaboration across disciplines, with work focused on different contexts, from local to global. In this talk, I will describe my own journey towards understanding the food system as a complex, adaptive system and a key driver of planetary health, outlining my past, current and planned research at this intersection.

Bio

Chloe Clifford Astbury is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Global Health at York University, interested in planetary health, food policy and the transition to a healthier, fairer and more sustainable food system. Her current work focuses on the application of systems approaches to the prevention of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, with a focus on participatory and qualitative system modelling. 

Prior to joining York, Chloe completed her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge, focusing on home food preparation and its relevance and potential for improving diet quality at the population level. This work was awarded the Milo Keynes Prize for Outstanding Dissertation in Cambridge’s School of Clinical Medicine. She also holds a BA in Anthropology and an MPH from the University of Cambridge. Chloe has an interest in applied, policy-relevant research and has previously worked with organisations including the World Health Organization, the United Nations, Public Health England, the UK House of Commons Select Committees and Ontario Health.