Meredith Niles, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, has been named an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Niles is one of ten scholars nationwide to be selected for the 2022 class of the Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program, a major NAM initiative which provides a platform for a new generation of leaders to collaborate with the academy and its members to advance science, combat persistent challenges in health and medicine, and spark transformative change to improve health for all.
The prestigious program selects early- to mid-career professionals from a wide range of health-related fields – from epidemiology and psychiatry to medical ethics and mechanical engineering – to engage in a variety of activities throughout the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine over a three-year term. Activities include meetings in Washington, D.C. with NAM leadership and members; planning an annual Emerging Leaders Forum; participating in National Academies convening activities; publishing NAM Perspectives; and attending the NAMs annual meeting each October.
Niles is an interdisciplinary food systems scientist working at the interface of social-ecological food systems. Her research focuses on advancing efforts to achieve sustainable food security and improve health and environmental outcomes from food systems. She currently directs the National Food Access and COVID research Team (NFACT), a national effort to examine the food access and food insecurity impacts of COVID-19, and also serves as the associate director of the Food Systems Research Center at UVM, a collaboration between the university and USDA Agricultural Research Service focused on studying local and regional food systems, as well as small to medium sized farms.
“These professionals possess outstanding leadership qualities and are poised to shape the future of science, medicine, and health equity,” said NAM President Victor J. Dzau. “I am delighted to welcome 10 extraordinary scholars into the National Academy of Medicines Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine program, and I look forward to their contributions to accelerate innovative and cross-disciplinary activities to address pressing health and medicine challenges we face as a nation.”
The NAM Emerging Leaders Forum, to be held in Washington, D.C., April 18-19, 2023, will provide an opportunity for the new group of scholars and invited participants to share their activities and insights on cutting-edge developments through collaborative work and interdisciplinary discussions among the nations rising leaders in health and medicine.
Read the press release from NAM.