Master of Public Health

November 26, 2025

Launching the Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative Plus to Improve Nutrition for Small, Vulnerable Newborns in Nairobi County, Kenya

An estimated 2.3 million newborns die every year during the first 28 days of life, accounting for nearly half of all deaths of children under five. The provision of human milk can have the most significant impact of all potential interventions to improve outcomes for small, vulnerable newborns (SVN). The WHO recommends that all infants,…

Reevaluating Food Ranking Systems and Developing Culturally Responsive Nutrition Education for the Latinx Community in Burien, WA: Strategic Initiatives of Alimentando al Pueblo

Alimentando al Pueblo (AAP) is a Latinx-founded and led community-building organization in Burien, WA, and the only Latinx food bank in the country to provide culturally relevant foods. The student worked with AAP to develop a comprehensive nutrition strategy and food ranking system (FRS). FRS help food banks make informed purchasing decisions, assess the nutritional…

Developing a Family-Informed NG Tube Training Curriculum for the NICU

Nasogastric tubes (NGTs) are small, flexible tubes inserted in a patient’s nostril that extend to the stomach and may be used to provide hydration and nutrition support. There are many reasons a child may require an NGT, but in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) it is commonly used in infants experiencing: difficulty gaining or…

Equity Mapping of Lactation Resources in Washington State

The idea that your zip code is a better predictor of your health than your genetic code has been widely propelled. Zip code is also a predictor of breast/chest feeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity and disparities in access to lactation support resources play a major role. The benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and nursing…

Promoting Nutritious School Meals through Visual Menus and Nutrition Education Posters

One in five U.S. children lives in a household with food insecurity, making school meals the primary source of nutrition for many. Research highlights the importance of breakfast and lunch for student focus and success. Highline School District offers free meals to all of its students. They aim to make meals accessible for all students,…

Community Health Engagement and Nutrition Advocacy for the Latine Community in Washington State: Development of a Culturally Sensitive Nutrition Booklet

The primary goal of this project was to collaborate with the Latino Center for Health (LCH) to reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus within Latine communities across Washington state by identifying health disparities in the Latine population and designing culturally responsive strategies to help alleviate them. The student worked to address the community’s…

Developing a Data and Performance Measurement Framework for the Food Action Plan

The student assisted the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) to develop a framework to track data and measure performance outcomes for their Food Action Plan (FAP). A specific focus of this project was on Values-Based Food Purchasing (VBFP) and providing baseline research on the current food purchasing patterns of City programs….

Culturally Relevant Recipe Development for Seattle Farm to Preschool Program

Seattle Farm to Preschool (F2P) is a partnership of eight organizations whose mission is to “provide children and families with access to fresh local food and learning opportunities which celebrate food cultures and invest in our local farm economy.” F2P uses a systems-based approach to enact change and foster a resilient ecosystem honoring the land,…

October 8, 2025

Fernanda Nunes

What is your background and why did you choose graduate study? I majored in nutritional sciences in my undergraduate studies, and then completed a dietetic internship that focused heavily on clinical nutrition. After the dietetic internship, I decided that I wanted to pivot towards public health and food systems work. I worked as a registered…

September 16, 2025

Food Policy Entities in Washington State: A Qualitative Exploration of Social Capital

Food systems—and the policies and structures that govern them—are complex, and food policy entities (FPEs) are one way that communities navigate this complexity. Efforts are underway to increase coordination among FPEs, and exploring how FPEs describe their structure, activities, and experience with social capital can support these coordination efforts. This thesis aims to characterize local…

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