Discover Insights on Food and Health: Join the President’s Speaker Series!

By Mark Muckenfuss

Erin O’Dwyer will share insights on sustainable agriculture and its health impacts in the upcoming President’s Speaker Series on March 18, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Following her talk, there will be a panel discussion featuring experts in the agricultural and nutrition sectors.

O’Dwyer, a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, studies the effects of eco-friendly agricultural practices on food quality and human health. “My research dives into how agroecology and regenerative agriculture meet nutrition and public health,” she explains. “I explore the social values driving agricultural changes and the barriers that prevent farmers from adopting better practices.”

A significant focus of her research is how institutional environments—like schools and hospitals—can promote healthier food choices. “These institutions have a lot of buying power. They can influence what farmers decide to grow, leading to a healthier food system,” she notes. O’Dwyer’s work looks at the connections between agricultural practices, supply chains, and the health of both people and the planet.

O’Dwyer holds a doctorate in population health sciences from Harvard. Her previous research on agriculture in Massachusetts can be applied elsewhere, especially in crucial agricultural regions like Monterey and Salinas. “The core challenges of aligning agricultural sustainability with public health apply here too,” she states.

The panel discussion after her presentation will be moderated by Dr. Patricia Santana, a leader in the Food is Medicine movement. The panel includes Wei-ting Chen, executive director of Stanford’s Food for Health Equity Lab; Tony Serrano, CEO of JAS Family Farms Organics; and Juan Pablo “JP” Dundore-Arias, director of plant and soil science at CSUMB.

For those interested in the intersection of food systems and health, this event promises to spark valuable conversations.

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