Christina Economos, PhD, is a Professor, the New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition, and Chair of the Division of Nutrition Interventions, Communication, & Behavior Change at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Medical School at Tufts University. She is also the co-Founder and Director of ChildObesity180, a unique organization that brings together leaders from diverse disciplines to generate urgency, and find solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic.
As the principal investigator of large-scale research studies, Dr. Economos has generated over $50 million in funding with a goal to inspire behavior, policy, and environmental change to reduce obesity and improve the health of America’s children. She has authored more than 150 scientific publications and speaks frequently at scientific and professional meetings. At ChildObesity180 she develops, implements, evaluates, and scales high-impact obesity prevention initiatives. To date, the portfolio of ChildObesity180’s work has reached over 11 million children in all 50 states. She led the Shape Up Somerville study demonstrating that it is possible to reduce excess weight gain in children through multiple leverage points within an entire community.
Dr. Economos is involved in national obesity and public health activities and has served on four National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committees including the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions and the Committee on an Evidence Framework for Obesity Prevention Decision-Making. In addition, she served on the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. She has been featured in numerous media outlets including CNN, NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. Dr. Economos received a Bachelor of Science from Boston University, a Master of Science in Applied Physiology and Nutrition from Columbia University and a Doctorate in Nutritional Biochemistry from Tufts University