Food Policy Research Team

Julien Leider, MA, is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the UIC School of Public Health. He has worked on a variety of studies evaluating policies relating to nutrition and physical activity, such as sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, school district wellness policies, and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal pattern standards. He contributes to study design and operationalization and leads data management and analysis for multiple projects under the Food Policy Research Program.

Susan provides oversight and administration of operational, financial, regulatory, business, and research operations at the Division of Health Policy and Administration at UIC School of Public Health, including the Food Policy Research program.

Samantha (Sam) Marinello, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Administration in the UIC School of Public Health. Dr. Marinello is experienced in evaluating the impacts of public health policies on health behaviors and outcomes. Her research focuses on food and nutrition policy, cannabis policy, and online marketing of unhealthy products.

Isabel (Izzy) McGoldrick, MPH, is a Visiting Research Specialist in the Division of Health Policy and Administration at UIC’s School of Public Health. She has worked on studies evaluating food policy, including those examining youth exposure to food and beverage marketing and the industry’s response to SNAP waivers. Her responsibilities include managing research assistants, leading trainings, conducting internal audits, and assisting with the development of study materials.

Vanessa Oddo, Ph.D., MPH, is a nutrition epidemiologist whose research broadly focuses on the social and economic determinants of nutrition-related health outcomes. Her research has focused on evaluating the effect of nutrition policies (e.g., sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, the National School Lunch Program, SNAP) on dietary intake, food and nutrition security, and economic outcomes. In addition to her work on the Food Policy Research program, Dr. Oddo has expertise in investigating the determinants of obesity and the diet quality of populations using big data (e.g., NHANES) and has led NIH-funded studies investigating the role of working conditions on chronic disease.

Andrea Pipito, MS, is a Senior Research Specialist in Health Policy and Administration at the UIC School of Public Health. She has worked on nutrition and physical activity policy and program evaluations, conducted systematic reviews, and undertaken qualitative work around policy implementation barriers and facilitators. Previously Andrea was employed at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Prevention Research Center and an independent public health consulting firm (i.e., Transtria). Upon joining UIC, she served as the Research Manager for the U.S. Food Policy Evaluation Program and the Sweetened Beverage Tax Evaluation Project. For the Food Policy Research Program, Andrea is responsible for strategic decision-making, operational oversight, research and team management, and collaboration with a variety of partners.

Betsy Porter, JD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the MPH program within the Division of Health Policy and Administration at UIC. Betsy is an attorney licensed in the state of Illinois, and her research focuses on state laws and local policies that have the potential to impact childhood health and wellness, particularly in the school setting. Over the last decade, she has led the compilation of multiple nationwide policy surveillance datasets, including the National Cancer Institute’s Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (available atclass.cancer.gov) and the National Wellness Policy Study’s state law database (available at go.uic.edu/NWPSproducts).

Lisa M. Powell, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor and Director in the Division of Health Policy and Administration at the UIC School of Public Health. Dr. Powell is the Director of the Food Policy Research Program at UIC. Dr. Powell has extensive experience as an applied micro-economist in the empirical analysis of the effects of public policy on a series of behavioral outcomes. In the area of food policy, her research has focused on assessing the importance of economic and environmental factors (such as food prices, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes, access to food stores, fast-food restaurants, other eating places, and food marketing exposure) on food consumption behaviors, economic outcomes, and as determinants of obesity, including related disparities. In particular, her work has made substantial contributions to the evidence base for policymakers in the areas of SSB taxes and child-directed marketing. 

Rebecca Schermbeck, MPH, MS, is a registered dietitian and senior research specialist for UIC’s Institute of Health Research and Policy. Her research focuses on studying the implementation and impact of public health-related policies and programs at all levels of government on communities, organizations, and individual behaviors and outcomes. In particular, her research has focused on assessing the nutritional content of food and beverage products marketed in stores, on television and on digital platforms. She focuses on issues related to diet and nutrition, physical activity, and obesity.

Krystal Steg, MPH, is a Visiting Research Specialist in the Division of Health Policy and Administration at UIC’s School of Public Health. Her work focuses on assessing the impacts of policy and programs on community health, emphasizing equity-driven and data-informed solutions. She has experience applying both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand health behaviors and improve public health outcomes.

Amber Uskali, MPH, is a Senior Research Specialist in the Division of Health Research and Policy at UIC’s School of Public Health. She has over 15 years of experience providing high-level management across a portfolio of research and evaluation projects at UIC,  including developing stakeholder relationships, managing communications and reporting requirements, and producing high-quality dissemination products across projects. Uskali manages external funding and communications for the Food Policy Research Program. 

Michael Yen, MS,  is an IT/AV/Distance Learning Coordinator and Instructional Designer in the Division of Health Policy and Administration at the School of Public Health at University of Illinois Chicago. Yen brings years of expertise in planning, building, and delivering online/distance-based, blended, and in-person training. He also has experience configuring and supporting websites and web-based products for federal, state, and local projects.