Extension

All universities and colleges engage in research and teaching, but land-grant colleges and universities, like the University of California, have extension as their third critical mission. Cooperative Extension translates knowledge gained through scientific research into education and learning activities and implements them within communities to create positive changes, in our case in diet, nutrition and health.

Through our extension and outreach work, we aim to bring critical and practical information to diverse communities and engage and empower them to solve problems, develop skills, and build a better future where they live, work, learn and play. In our lab, we understand that changing behavior is only one part in addressing the increasing diet-related chronic disease burden for people and society. We understand that to break the cycle of poverty that leads to poor nutrition and health it is fundamental to have supportive policies in place, at each level.

Examples of this work include an evaluation of the implementation of a California policy centering environmental justice in land use. This law also addresses food justice by including the promotion of equitable access to healthy food options in city planning. You can read about this work here, and learn about our community events in Sacramento and Richmond and Gilroy.

My extension program serves, primarily, the Latino community. I rely upon a bilingual/bicultural profile, cultural humility and the SDoH framework to understand the needs and support this population.

Nutrition Education in Spanish