Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, PhD
Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences); Director, Office of Public Health Practice; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Director, YSPH Global Health Concentration; Director, Maternal and Child Health Promotion (MCHP) Program
Dr. Pérez-Escamilla’s research focuses on maternal-child nutrition in low- and middle-income countries, as well as on measuring and assessing the causes and consequences of household food insecurity (HFI) globally. He served on both the 2010 and 2015 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees, and as a result he has developed a strong interest in the factors influencing the translation of scientific knowledge into evidence-informed public health policy guidelines. He is particularly interested in four lines of inquiry related to climate change: a) factors that influence the incorporation of environmental sustainability into national dietary guidelines policies; b) impact of HFI on unsustainable environmental practices; c) impact of climate change on HFI; and d) environmental impacts of infant formula in comparison with breastfeeding.