@ the Center for Health Innovation, Research, and Policy (CHIRP)
Our Team
Director and Professor of Nutrition
Juliana Cohen, ScD, ScM, RD
Juliana Cohen is a Professor of Nutrition and Public Health at Merrimack College and an adjunct Professor of Nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. She is also the Director of the Center for Health Innovation, Research, and Policy (CHIRP). Dr. Cohen is an internationally recognized expert on school meal policies and interventions. Her school nutrition research centers on the identification, evaluation, and dissemination of effective nutrition policies and initiatives improve children's health and academic outcomes, as well as helping policymakers and key stakeholders make informed decisions about effective nutrition policies and programs. Dr. Cohen has a doctorate in nutrition from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where she also received a Master’s in society, human development, and health.
Tara Daly, MS
​
Tara Daly is the Assistant Director at the Center for Health Innovation, Research, and Policy (CHIRP) at Merrimack College. Ms. Daly completed both her MS and undergraduate degree at Merrimack College.
​
​
Ashley Kesack, MS
​​Ashley Kesack is a Project Manager at the Center for Health Innovation, Research, and Policy (CHIRP) at Merrimack College. Ashley completed her MS degree at Merrimack College and her undergraduate degree at Villanova University. Her research interests include nutrition in schools and the impact of school food nutrition and community health policies on reducing obesity and health disparities.
​
Leah Chapman, PhD, MPH
Dr. Leah Chapman is a Research Scientist at the Center for Health Innovation, Research, and Policy (CHIRP) at Merrimack College. Dr. Chapman completed her PhD in Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her dissertation examined the impacts of a city-wide, policy-mandated minimum wage increase on various health outcomes, including diet, food insecurity, and stress. Leah also completed her MPH at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2016 and her bachelors degree at the University of Florida in 2011. Her research interests include the nutritional causes of obesity, dietary assessment methods, and the design and evaluation of community-based nutrition intervention trials.
Mentorship
The NOURISH Lab is committed to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doctoral fellows interested in studying children's nutrition, health behaviors, and/or food policies. Students interested in learning about directed studies, fellowships, or paid opportunities to get involved in the NOURISH Lab should email Dr. Juliana Cohen at Cohenj@merrimack.edu
