Dr. Arcan will present community engaged nutrition interventions in special populations, including World Trade Center first responders, firefighters, and income-based housing communities. There will be opportunities to discuss future research directions at Penn State and explore potential collaborations.
About the Speaker
Chrisa Arcan is an associate professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the College of Health and Human Development and a registered dietitian. She is a nutrition and behavioral epidemiologist focusing on personal, behavioral, and environmental factors influencing dietary intake, excess weight, and chronic disease, particularly in underserved populations. Her research includes observational and nutrition intervention studies using community-based participatory research with diverse populations, including African American, Native American, Somali, Latino, and Hmong communities, in clinics, schools, communities, and food stores.
Dr. Arcan is particularly interested in the Mediterranean diet, systemic inflammation, and chronic disease development. She earned her doctorate in public health nutrition from the University of Minnesota and a master’s in public health in International Health (Nutrition) from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine and is affiliated with the Penn State Cancer Institute.
