People
The Foodpath consortium involves six countries and has eight partners. Ghent University, Belgium, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Türkiye, Medical University of Silsea, Poland, Sciensano, Belgium, University College Cork, Ireland, Universita Cattolica Decl Sacro Cuore, Italy, Utrecht University, Netherlands, Wageningen University, Netherlands.
Explore our groups of people
Ghent University
Ghent Univeristy and Sciensano in Belgium are leading Workpackage 2 and will take part in all four work packages.
Greet Cardon is full professor and head of the Department of Movement and Sports Sciences at Ghent University, Belgium. She chairs the research group “Physical activity and health”, mainly focusing on better understanding and improving physical activity related behaviors across the lifespan. She is highly involved in EU projects and doctoral networks, member of several policy related boards and expert panels and is fellow of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Evita van Duin is a PhD student at the Department of Movement and Sport Sciences at Ghent University and at Sciensano, the Belgian Institute for Health. At UGhent, she is part of the research group “Physical activity and health”. In her PhD, which is part of the FOODPATH-project, she focusses on the commercial determinants of health and socio-economic inequalities. She has a background in international relations, European politics, and public health.
Izmir Katip Celebi University
Izmir Katip Celebi University in Turkiye is mainly working on Workpackage 3.4 (Food-EPI Türkiye), which aims to evaluate the Turkish government's policy to create a healthier food environment using the Food-EPI, with a focus on health inequalities. IKCU will also be involved in all four workpackages.
Gülşah Kaner is professor and head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Izmir Katip Çelebi University in Türkiye. She conducts research on nutrition assessment of different population groups, evaluation of the effectiveness of nutrition education and nutrition knowledge of different population groups. Her research focuses on obesity, disordered eating, Mediterranean diet, medical nutrition therapy in chronic diseases and public health nutrition. She has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals. She is the principal investigator of the FOODPATH Türkiye team.
Tuba YALÇIN is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Izmir Katip Çelebi University in Türkiye. She conducts research on nutrition assessment of different population groups. Her research focuses on obesity, disordered eating, Mediterranean diet, medical nutrition therapy in chronic diseases and public health nutrition. She has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals. She is the investigator of the FOODPATH Türkiye team.
Gamze YURTDAŞ DEPBOYLU is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Izmir Katip Çelebi University in Türkiye. Her research focuses on pediatric obesity, disordered eating behaviors, the Mediterranean diet, chronic diseases in children, and public health nutrition. She has published numerous international peer-reviewed articles. She is the investigator of the FOODPATH Türkiye team
Esila, who takes part in our project as a doctoral scholar, is studying at Hacettepe University, Institute of Health Sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics Doctorate Programme. She works as a research assistant at Istanbul Aydın University. Esila, who studied the application of nutrient profiling models to local food recipes in her master's thesis, is interested in nutrition in public health and considers pursuing a career in that field. Nutrition policy, the role of nutrition as a factor to improve public health, nutrition principles and sustainable nutrition are among her areas of study.
Büşra, who takes part in our project as a doctoral scholar, is studying at Hacettepe University, Institute of Health Sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics Doctorate Programme. She works as a research assistant at Istanbul Medeniyet University. She has completed her master's degree in nutritional sciences by developing a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to measure the intake of prebiotic and probiotic foods and the consumption of fermented foods. She has conducted studies on nutritional literacy and the Mediterranean diet.
Merve, who takes part in our project as a doctoral scholar, is studying at Gazi University, Institute of Health Sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics Doctorate Programme. She works as a research assistant at Nuh Naci Yazgan University. She worked as a volunteer at a community centre in an EU project in Portugal in 2020. She has conducted studies on the nutrition quality of school menus, menu labeling and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in children.
Sciensano
Sciensano and Ghent University in Belgium are leading Workpackage 2 and will take part in all four workpackages.
Dr Stefanie Vandevijvere is a Senior Public Health Nutrition Scientist at the Scientific Institute of Public Health (Sciensano) in Belgium. Her research focuses on nutrition policies for obesity prevention globally. Her work aims to support the development and implementation of policies to effectively and equitably improve the quality of population diets. She has particular interest in the role of food environments in determining people’s dietary habits and how to hold governments and food businesses to account for their actions to create healthy food environments to effectively reduce obesity.
Medical University of Silesia
University of Silesea in Poland is involved in all four workpackages and takes the lead on Workpackage 3.1, developing the systematice review protocol.
Piotr Romaniuck is an associate professor at the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. Head of Department of Health Policy and Chair of Public Health Policy, Chairman of the University's Board of Health Sciences.
Katarzyna Brukało, PhD, MBA in healthcare, clinical dietitian and public health specialist, Department of Health Policy, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Silesia, Poland.
She serves as an expert for the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians within the European Specialist Dietetic Networks for Older Adults and Public Health and the International Group of Urban Planning for Health Equity under the Academy of Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association.
Brukało has actively contributed to numerous international projects supported by the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and the European Commission. She played a crucial role as a researcher in projects such as JANPA, JAHEE, EPHOs, Best Re-MaP, Com.HeNet, PEN, and holds leadership roles in StratKIT+ and Health4EUKids. Additionally, she serves as the Work Package Co-Leader for JA PreventNCDs.
Her research interests primarily revolve around food/nutrition policy, local health policy/local health promotion, nutrition in older adults and neurodegenerative diseases.
Kryzstof Kaczmarek is a sociologist, researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Public Health of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice. Research interests: issues of social determinants of health, health inequalities, social and health policy, health promotion. He participated in the implementation of national and international research and educational projects, including JPI PEN, Jacardi, STEPS, Com.HeNet.
Natalia Zadworna-Strzeszyna is a Teaching Assistant and PhD student at Medical University of Silesia. Her specialty is Health Science. She has a background in international health projects and is also an OHS specialist.
Klaudia Alcer completed a Masters in Dietetics at Medical University of Silesia. Her research interests include disordered eating, obesity and nutrition therapy in chronic diseases. As well as being engaged in research, she works in a private clinic with the patients wishing to change their nutritional habits.
Anton Yeremenko has a background in veterinary medicine and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in marketing and digital marketing in the medical sector. He plans to focus his PhD on public health communication, preventive healthcare strategies and the impact of health policy campaigns on people's behaviour. Anton joins the FOODPATH team in the University of Silesia as a volunteer.
University College Cork
University College Cork in Ireland is coordinating the FOODPATH Consortium, managing all milestones and deliverables and is lead on Workpackage 3. UCC will take part in all four workpackages.
Dr Janas Harrington is a senior lecturer and Director for the BSc Public Health Sciences and leads the Food Policy Research team in the Centre for Health and Diet Research, within the School of Public Health, University College Cork (UCC). Her research to date has focussed on the determinants of dietary patterns and the links between these dietary patterns and disease outcome, in particular in relation to obesity and cardiovascular risk. Janas is the project lead for FOODPATH.
Margaret Steele is a postdoctoral researcher on the Food Policy Research Team at UCC School of Public Health. She has a PhD in philosophy from Marquette University, and a MSc in Obesity from the University of Galway. Her research centres on food and nutrition policy, commercial determinants of health, obesity, and public health ethics.
Shannen Hussey is a researcher on the Food Policy Research Team at UCC School of Public Health. She completed a BA in Applied Psychology, and a Masters in Public Health, both from University College Cork. Her research interests include food and nutrition policy and health behaviour change.
Kristen Peralta-Herrera is a researcher on the Food Policy Research Team at UCC School of Public Health. She has a Master's degree in Public Health from University College Cork, and a Bachelor of Medicine, Surgery, and Midwifery from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. Her research interests include diet-related non-communicable diseases, disease prevention, health promotion, and the impact of policies on sustainable practices.
Nora O'Connor is currently studying for a master's in public health at University College Cork and working as an intern on FOODPATH WP1 and WP3. She has an undergraduate degree in health and life sciences from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Nora is interested in research regarding nutrition, obesity, and the social determinants of health and how we can build environments that are conducive to a healthy lifestyle for everyone.
Caroline Barron is currently studying a BSc in Public Health Sciences at University College Cork and working as an intern on FOODPATH. Caroline is interested in research regarding nutrition and health, especially how lifestyle behaviours affect health and well-being.
Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Universita Cattaolica Del Sacro Cuore in Italy is Lead for Workpackage 4.1
Daniele Moro is a Full Professor in the Department of Economics and Social Sciences at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in Piacenza (Italy). His main research interests are price analysis, the evaluation of policy interventions in agricultural and food markets, and the applied analysis of consumers’ behaviour. He has also participated in many peer-revied projects (both national and international), mainly on food diets and policy evaluation (BrightSpace - SYSTEMIC - MIND STEP – BioMonitor - PEN (Policy Evaluation Network) – PEGASUS – SUSDIET – DEDIPAC – TRANSFOP – FADNTOOL - FACTOR MARKETS). He has published in the leading Journals in the field of Agricultural Economics (AJAE, ERAE, JAE, Food Policy). In 2008 he received the Quality of Policy Contribution Award from the European Association of Agricultural Economists.
Dr. Elena Castellari works as associate professor at the Department of Agricultural and Food Economics at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza (Italy). She obtained a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Connecticut (USA) and a Ph.D. in Economics and Management of Agri-food Sector at UCSC. Her expertise is mainly in the field of consumer behavior and the assessment of food and agricultural policies. In her research she has used econometric modelling and experimental and quasi-experimental methods for public policies impact evaluation. Her research has been published in leading academic journals such as Food Policy, Health Economics, and Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. She has collaborated in several past and ongoing projects related to sustainable diets, food nutrition security and food and agricultural policies.
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is mainly involved in Workpackage one in an advisory role.
Dr Carlijn Kamphuis is a health scientist by training and appointed as Associate Professor of Public Health at the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science of Utrecht University. With her research, she aims to increase our understanding of how physical, socio-cultural, institutional and policy-environmental factors contribute to socioeconomic inequities in health. She applies systems thinking to gain insight into the complex, interacting dynamics and mechanisms underlying socio-economic health inequities. In her research, she collaborates with policy makers and people with experiential knowledge, and hopes to contribute to policies and measures to reduce socio-economic health inequities in the Netherlands.
Kamphuis holds a PhD in Public Health, received multiple national and international grants and won the L’Oréal UNESCO For Women in Science Award in 2016.
Wageningen University
Wageningen University in the Netherlands is the lead on Workpackage 1 and Workpackage 4.2 and involved in all four workpackages.
Dr Maartje Poelman is an Associate Professor of Prevention and Public Health Nutrition in the Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles chair group at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. She holds a PhD and a Master's degree in Public Health Sciences, along with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Her research focuses on exploring how food environments and policies can promote healthy and sustainable nutrition across populations.
Dr. Sanne Djojosoeparto works as a postdoctoral researcher at the chair group Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on food environments and the policies that should be implemented to create healthy and sustainable food environments. In addition, she aims to understand the mechanisms underlying socioeconomic inequalities in diet and how policies could contribute to reducing these inequalities. She completed her PhD research entitled ‘Government policies to improve food environments: a population and equity lens’.
Nieke Sonneveld works as a junior researcher at the Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands at the chair group Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles. In her studies, she focused on healthy and sustainable lifestyles and food systems. From her experience with and interest in local policies for healthier food environments, she now contributes to the FOODPATH research project.