Passion to empower communities by improving dietary health is what fuels Carolyn Chelius, a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Health Behavior at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. She recently joined the Global Food Research Program (GFRP) under the advisership of GFRP faculty Shu Wen Ng and Marissa Hall. Carolyn will also be a trainee in the Carolina Population Center’s Population Science Predoctoral Training Program.
Carolyn grew up in the Philadelphia area before moving to Boston to complete her undergraduate degrees in economics and environmental studies at Wellesley College, and ultimately earned her Master of Science in Food and Nutrition Policy and Programs at Tufts University.
In her previous work, Carolyn assumed various roles that impacted public health and food policy including managing the Food Literacy Project at Harvard, conducting research as an agricultural economist for the United States Department of Agriculture, and evaluating policies and programs increasing access to healthy foods at the University of California Nutrition Policy Institute.
“I enjoy projects that have real-world implications,” said Carolyn. “I love opportunities to address someone else’s needs. Much of the time communities know what they need, so I think it’s helpful to listen and let it come first from the community.”
Carolyn’s overlapping interests in nutrition, agriculture, public health, and equity converge in her desire to study and improve human health outcomes. Advice from one of her advisers, who emphasized that health behavior is the study of people, inspired her to pursue her concentration.
“I would like to reduce barriers for people to be able to access, prepare, and consume healthy food, whether it’s making it easier to identify healthy choices at the grocery store, making healthy food more affordable, or equipping people with the knowledge and confidence to prepare healthy meals.”
Carolyn is excited to be working in a global context in her research at GFRP and to examine food policies that could potentially be implemented in the United States. She recently moved to Chapel Hill, NC with her partner Spencer and cat Ginger. In her free time, she enjoys being outside and doing activities including running, hiking, and paddleboarding. She also plays violin and piano.