For over 35 years, Ann Ferris led a team of researchers and educators dedicated to explaining, preventing, and treating the high occurrences of food related conditions, particularly childhood obesity and iron-deficiency anemia is underserved and poor families.  To be successful, programs developed by her group require both close collaborations with multiple public and private agencies and the maintenance of a continuous funding stream.  While she was head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences (1990-1995), the CT Department of Social Services requested that she start the CT SNAP-ED.  In 2004, the then President of UCONN, Philip Austin,  appointed her  as the co-lead in a university wide effort to expand UCONN’s commitment to public health and health care reform.  The later effort lead to the development of the Center for Public Health and Health Policy, a cross-university policy, research, and outreach center with 35 professional staff and faculty who lead initiatives in health information, health care reform, community transformation, health promotion, urban health, workforce development, and doctoral and inter-professional education.  She directed CPHHP until her retirement in 2015.  Now as an emerita professor in medicine and public health, she continues her work on childhood obesity prevention and increasing food access.  

Education

Degree	Institution	Major
BS	Simmons College	Nutrition
Certificate	American International College	Community Organization
MS	University of Massachusetts	Food Science & Nutrition
PhD	University of Massachusetts	Food Science & Nutrition

Post-Graduate Training

Training	Institution	Specialty
Professional Training	U.S. Department of Agriculture	USDA, ESCOP/ACOP Leadership Training Program

Awards

Name of Award/Honor	Awarding Organization
AAUP University Service Award	American Association of University Professors
Senior Faculty Award	Gamma Sigma Delta
Phi Beta Kappa, Crown Zellerback Foundation Scholar	Phi Kappa Phi

Dr. Ferris currently provides oversight to the Husky Nutrition service learning programs. While in the Department of Nutritional Sciences on the Storrs campus, she taught Nutritional Sciences 200, Nutrition and Development, a 100-student sophomore-level course (extensive use of web based resources, WebCT, experiential exercises, and cooperative learning used in the course), and Nutritional Sciences 314, Community Nutrition.

Name & Description	Category	Role	Type	Scope	Start Year	End Year
Department of Medicine Search Committee Division Head, General Medicine	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2011
Nutrition Education Research Section	Advisory Committee	Member	External	National	2011
HHS:HRSA, Maternal and Child Health Research Panel	Research Committee	Member	External	National	2010	2010
Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal	Editorial Board	Member	External	National	2010
CT-Department of Public Health: Chronic Disease Prevention Advisory Committee for state plan	Advisory Committee	Member	External	State	2010
City of Hartford, Hunger-free community grant planning	Advisory Committee	Member	External	Local	2010
Cobb Institute/National Medical Association/University of Connecticut Planning Group	Advisory Committee	Memeber	UConn-Storrs	University	2009
Public Issues Council, Uconn Health Center School of Medicine	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2009
School of Medicine Center Director Representative	Advisory Committee	Director Representative	UConn Health	University	2009
Public Health Education Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2009
Hartford Promise: Children Succeeding and Achieving. Organizing Member of the Program and Member of the Steering and Grant Writing Committee.	Advisory Committee	Committee member	External	Local	2009
City of Hartford, Community Needs Assessment Planning Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	External	Local	2009
City of Hartford, Critical Health Factors Report Group	Advisory Committee	Member	External	Local	2009	2009
Urban Health Partnership, and PORT (T2) program group	Advisory Committee	Director	UConn Health	University	2008
Synergy Planning Group	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2008	2009
Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, M.P.H. Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2008
Public Health Living Learning Community- Public Health House, Faculty Oversight Committee	Advisory Committee	Chair	UConn-Storrs	University	2008
Nutrition Education Research Interest	Professional/Scientific Organization	Section Chair	External	National	2008	2009
CT General Assembly, Commission on Health Equity	Advisory Committee	Member	External	State	2008
Hartford Childhood Obesity Coalition	Advisory Committee	Member	External	Local	2008
City of Hartford, Healthy Habits Task Force	Advisory Committee	Member	External	Local	2008	2010
Executive Committee in the Center for Public Health and Health Policy	Advisory Committee	Chair	UConn-Storrs	University	2007
Coordinating Committee (University-wide planning committee) in the Center for Public Health and Health Policy	Advisory Committee	Committee Member	UConn-Storrs	University	2007
Nutrition Education Research Interest, Executive Committee	Professional/Scientific Organization	Member	External	National	2007	2010
Connecticut Childhood Obesity Data Task Force	Advisory Committee	Member	External	State	2007	2009
City of Hartford, City Match Planning Group	Advisory Committee	Member	External	Local	2007
Founding Director, Urban Health Partnership	Professional/Scientific Organization	Director	External	University	2006
Planning Committee for Community Engagement	Advisory Committee	Program Director	UConn-Storrs	University	2006	2008
Science and Human Rights, Executive Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	2006	2008
Urban Health Partnership	Advisory Committee	Coordinator	UConn-Storrs	University	2005
Founding Co-Director, Center for Public Health and Health Policy, University of Connecticut	Professional/Scientific Organization	Co-Director	External	University	2004	2010
Founding Director, Doctoral Programs in Public Health, University of Connecticut	Education Committee	Director	UConn Health	University	2004
Provost’s Commission on Women, Executive Committee	Advisory Committee	Committee member	UConn-Storrs	University	2004	2008
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), Development Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	2004	2007
City of Hartford: Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	Invited Member	External	Local	2004
American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Awards Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	2003	2008
American Association of Nutritional Sciences, Executive Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	External	National	2003	2004
Public Health Academic Committee	Education Committee	Co-Chair	External	University	2002	2009
USDA/NRI Integrated Obesity Program Study Section Panel	Study Section	Member	External	National	2002	2004
American Association of Nutritional Sciences, Finance Committee Member, Steering Committee, Community and Public Health Research Interest Section	Advisory Committee	Chair	External	National	2002	2003
City of Hartford, WIC Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	External	Local	2001	2007
Executive Committee (Elected)	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	1998	2003
Phi Beta Kappa, Committee on Graduate Members in Course	Advisory Committee	Chair	UConn-Storrs	University	1998	1998
Department of Nutritional Science	Advisory Committee	Seminar Coordinator	UConn-Storrs	University	1998	2002
USDA National Development Committee for Food Stamp Nutrition Education	Advisory Committee	Member	External	National	1998	2001
Special Admissions Committee	Education Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	1998	1999
Enrollment Committee	Education Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	1995	1999
Special Admissions Committee	Education Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	1995	1996
Faculty Retirement	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	1995	1999
Department of Nutritional Science, Graduate Program Coordinator	Education Committee	Coordinator	UConn-Storrs	University	1995	1996
Association of Nutrition Programs and Departments, Founding Executive Board and Treasurer	Professional/Scientific Organization	Board of Directors	External	National	1993	1996
University of Connecticut Senate (Elected)	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	1993	2000
American Association of Nutritional Sciences, Association of Nutrition Programs and Departments	Professional/Scientific Organization	Member	External	National	1993	1996
Department of Nutritional Science, Department Head	Education Committee	Department Head	UConn-Storrs	University	1990	1996
Regional Technical Research Committee, NE-172.	Professional/Scientific Organization	Chair	External	National	1985	1988
Dietetics Curriculum, Courses and Curriculum Subcommittee	Education Committee	Member	UConn-Storrs	University	1981	2007
American Dietetic Association. Registered (R407438)	Professional/Scientific Organization	Member	External	National
American Society of Nutritional Sciences	Professional/Scientific Organization	Member	External	National
Society for Nutrition Education	Professional/Scientific Organization	Member	External	National
American Public Health Association	Professional/Scientific Organization	Member	External	National
Connecticut Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CICATS)	Professional/Scientific Organization	Investigator	UConn-Storrs	University
Center Health Intervention and Prevention	Advisory Committee	Faculty Affiliate	UConn-Storrs	University
Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering	Advisory Committee	Faculty Affiliate	UConn-Storrs	University
Center for the Study for Child Health and Culture	Advisory Committee	Faculty Affiliate	UConn-Storrs	University
IRICH, Faculty Affiliate and Postdoctoral Advisory Committee for Milton Levin	Advisory Committee	Committee member	UConn-Storrs	University
Center for Environmental Health	Advisory Committee	Faculty Affiliate	UConn-Storrs	University
State of Connecticut, Resources Committee	Advisory Committee	Chair	External	State
Founding member of organizing board of A Better Chance, Longmeadow, MA	Professional/Scientific Organization	Founding member	External	Local
State of Connecticut, Data Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	External	State

For over 20 years Dr. Ferris’s research team has been dedicated to explaining, preventing, and treating the high occurrence of food related conditions, particularly childhood obesity and iron-deficiency anemia in underserved and poor families. Participatory research models frame the work of this group with communities, family, and health care and social service providers. Although most of their past and currently funded work supports the need for community and family based interventions grounded in theoretical models of behavior change, sustainability of newly acquired food behavior skills requires a supportive environment. Consequently, in the last five years, the group added new lines of research in food systems, particularly food access in corner stores and shaping the environment to promote healthy food selection in parallel with our education based interventions.

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