Maria Elena Acosta

Biography

Maria obtained a Masters in Public Health from SFSU. Maria has over 15-years of experience as a health educator abroad and in the Bay Area including working as a nutrition coordinator for SFUSD and Emeryville parks and recreation. Not only has she been able to cook with many children and their families over the years, but she has been able to see school health policy implementation first hand. She combines her practical experience in schools and related nutrition programs with epidemiological studies on child health and disparities in the state of California. Maria is involved in research that focuses on state and federal policies to improve school nutrition standards as well as food environments near schools, conducting extensive literature reviews and analysis of California and national data. Acosta coordinates the team’s research activities, bringing together the collaborative work from multiple academic partners.