Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy – Featured Speakers
Sonia Y. Angell, MD, MPH
Director and State Public Health Officer
California Department of Public Health
From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Angell was a deputy commissioner for prevention and primary care at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Overseeing a staff of more than 300 and an annual budget exceeding $50 million, her division implemented cutting-edge policy and programming, integrating the strengths of public health and clinical care systems in their work. Division initiatives included a diverse portfolio from electronic health record implementation and clinical quality care improvement, to Medicaid enrollment assistance and advocacy for overcoming barriers to health care access. The division also introduced innovative nutrition and tobacco control policy development. Prior to that role, she was a senior advisor for global noncommunicable diseases, and chief and founder of the Global Noncommunicable Disease Unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2011 to 2014, where she provided strategic coordination for global noncommunicable disease work across the agency's centers. She continued her work in global health as a consultant to the Pan American Health Organization since 2017. Dr. Angell was founding director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control Program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from 2004 to 2011. Key accomplishments included restricting trans-fat use in New York City restaurants, launching the National Salt Reduction Initiative, getting calorie counts on menu boards in chain restaurants, and establishing nutrition standards for the 250 million meals and snacks that New York City government agencies purchase or serve every year. Throughout her public health career, Dr. Angell has continued her commitment to direct clinical care and teaching. She was a primary care physician at the Packard Community Clinic from 2003 to 2004. While at the New York City Health Department until joining the California Department of Public Health, she was also an assistant clinical professor of medicine and assistant attending physician at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Hospital. Dr. Angell is the author or co-author of more than 100 presentations, abstracts, chapters, editorials and publications. Before her career in medicine and public health, she was lead field organizer and trade policy coordinator for the Federation for Industrial Retention and Renewal from 1991 to 1993, a support services coordinator and instructor for the National Puerto Rican Forum in 1991. From 1988 to 1990 she served as a Peace Corps teacher and trainer volunteer in Nepal. Dr. Angell is board-certified in internal medicine. She received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and completed an internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She has a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a master of public health degree from the University of Michigan. She is a former Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar. Dr. Angell is a fellow of the second class of the Aspen Institute Health Innovators Program.
Katrina came to the Friedman School after decades as an Emmy Award-winning television producer and content creator. She's produced shows and series for Food Network, HGTV, ESPN and PBS—most recently as a producer/host at Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland, Oregon. Volunteering as a cooking instructor at Oregon Food Bank motivated her to pursue her interest in nutrition science and policy. This degree marks a mid-career pivot, and Katrina has been inspired and energized by her studies at Friedman. She grew up in the Boston area, where her family embraced the late 1970s version of eating healthy, including a backyard garden, growing bean sprouts in glass jars, and the board game "Super Sandwich." Katrina earned her undergraduate degree in English literature at Northwestern University, and began her career at WTTW/PBS (Chicago). She moved to Boulder, Colorado, where she worked for Food Network, HGTV and other cable networks, while maintaining a plot in the community garden and working with children. Her next stop was a master in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with an emphasis on technology in education. After graduation, she lived and worked in Oregon until she moved to Boston in August of 2018. At Friedman, Katrina is part of the Food and Nutrition Policy and Programs cohort. She started the Friedman Potluck Club, inspired by the Least Cost Potluck in Professor Will Masters' economics class. She wrote for the Friedman Sprout, participated in Friedman Food Policy Action Council and Friedman Justice League, and visited King Arthur Flour and Johnson and Wales University through Tufts Food Lab. Katrina also worked as a communications strategist for the Friedman School's Public Impact Initiative, and in that role, produced and narrated a video to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the seminal 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, among other assets. Recently, Katrina created an online class, "Let's Bake and Cook Together!" which builds community through shared cooking experiences. Her plans after graduation include finding impactful work at the intersection of nutrition education, food justice, social change and communication. She spends her free time exploring Boston, walking her dogs with her husband, and baking bread.
Alan D. Solomont
Dean, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life
Alan Solomont is the Dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. The only university-wide college of its kind, Tisch College studies and promotes the civic and political engagement of young people at Tufts University, in the university's communities, and in our democracy. Tisch College supports an undergraduate major in civic studies and offers innovative courses, programs and partnerships, including the Tisch Scholars Program, the Tufts 1+4 Bridge Year, the Tufts Civic Semester, and the Tisch Summer Fellows Program. Each year, Tisch College honors and publicly recognizes graduating students across the university who have excelled in civic engagement with the Presidential Award for Civic Life and induction into the Honos Civicus Society. Tisch College's research centers are the leading authority on youth voting in this country. Dean Solomont's career has been marked by his commitment to political activism, public service, and organizing for the greater good. He was appointed by President Obama to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2009 to 2013. He is the former chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service, first appointed to the board by President Clinton in 2000, reappointed by President George W. Bush in 2007, and elected chair in 2009. He also served as the national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee. Dean Solomont is a dedicated Tufts Jumbo, with experience in the roles of student, instructor, Tufts parent, trustee, and board chair.
Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPh
Dean, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition
Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, dean, and Jean Mayer Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. As one of the top nutrition institutions in the world, the Friedman School has as its mission is to produce trusted science, future leaders, and real-world impact. Dr. Mozaffarian has authored more than 400 scientific publications on dietary priorities for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, and on evidence-based policy approaches to reduce these burdens in the U.S. and globally. He has served in numerous advisory roles including for the U.S. and Canadian governments, American Heart Association, World Health Organization, and United Nations. His work has been featured in a wide array of media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and Time Magazine. In 2016, Thomson Reuters named him as one of the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds. Dr. Mozaffarian received a BS in biological sciences at Stanford (Phi Beta Kappa), MD at Columbia (Alpha Omega Alpha), residency training in internal medicine at Stanford, and fellowship training in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Washington. He also received an MPH from the University of Washington and a doctorate in public health from Harvard. Before being appointed as dean at Tufts in 2014, Dr. Mozaffarian was at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health for a decade and clinically active in cardiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is married, has three children, and actively trains as a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo.
Edward Saltzman, MD
Academic Dean
Edward Saltzman is the academic dean at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and an associate professor at the School of Medicine. His instructional efforts have focused on developing innovative approaches to teaching graduate students about the importance of micronutrients as well as nutrition education for health professionals. Dr. Saltzman's research has focused on obesity and body weight regulation in humans. He received his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and is an internist who specializes in clinical nutrition.