Within the University

Kelly Brownell’s Yale College class, The Psychology, Biology & Politics of Food, enrolled more than 300 students this past year and is among the university’s most popular courses. Many students came with an existing concern about food issues. Others were new to the concept of the food environment. All benefited from hearing diverse perspectives from speakers like Antonio Lucio, senior vice president of insights and innovation for PepsiCo, and world class academics from such disciplines as public health and psychology. Yale prides itself on educating leaders. (Three of the four living US presidents are Yale alumnae.) The importance of introducing so many of these future leaders to the complex factors driving the obesity epidemic cannot be overstated. One class exercise called on students to write op-ed pieces about a topic covered in class. So far this year, 39 of these pieces have run in local and national newspapers.

The Rudd Center seminar series has featured everyone from a neuroscientist studying how the brain processes flavor to a Congressional staffer working to regulate how the food industry markets to children. The seminar series also allowed us to host a food addiction meeting, delving into a new and critical area in the study of obesity.  The seminar series is an opportunity for interdisciplinary learning and cooperation, both of which are critical in our work.

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