Carmen Prestemon is eager to impact public health by advancing nutrition policy as a doctoral student in the Nutrition Department at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Carmen first joined the Global Food Research Program (GFRP) as an undergraduate research assistant, launching her path into nutrition policy research, and will now be continuing under the advisership of GFRP faculty Lindsey Smith Taillie for her graduate studies beginning this fall.
Originally from Cary, North Carolina, Carmen earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill before transitioning to a full-time role as a project manager for GFRP. She has worked on quantitative and qualitative research projects studying food and nutrition policies such as front-of-package labels, taxes, and choice architecture. Notably, she helped to develop several experimental grocery stores to study the impacts of various food policies and behavioral interventions, including the UNC Mini-Mart (located in the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention), Lola’s Grocery (an online store), and Saruê (an online store in Brazil). Carmen quickly discovered that she enjoyed seeing how the research could be scaled to influence public health and policy, making a meaningful impact on a broader level.
“It’s been a very rewarding experience to work on creating such unique research environments for collecting data,” said Carmen of her time as a project manager for GFRP.
Carmen desires to help shape nutrition policy in her research and find solutions to reduce ultra-processed food consumption in the United States and beyond. Her aim is to drive meaningful change by creating policies that both empower individuals to make more nutritious food choices and limit food industry influence, ultimately fostering a healthier and more informed population. She is also interested in studying the intersection between climate change and nutrition. “I’m committed to advancing healthy and sustainable diets that benefit both individuals and the environment, and this is the perfect place to pursue that goal,” said Carmen.
She is looking forward to building on her foundational education and experience from her undergraduate studies and project manager role and expanding her knowledge of advanced epidemiologic research methods with GFRP. Carmen will also be a trainee in the Carolina Population Center’s Population Science Predoctoral Training Program.
“I’ve been with GFRP for quite some time, and it’s truly been a pleasure to be a part of such a welcoming community united by a shared passion for food and nutrition,” said Carmen. “Hearing consistently positive feedback from others who have been through the program made it an easy and exciting choice for me.”
After working remotely from Colorado for a few years, she is happy to be back home in North Carolina to spend time with family and friends. Carmen has a variety of hobbies she enjoys during her free time including rock climbing, baking, reading, knitting, and spending time with her partner Jake and dog Charlie.
