2024 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit
June 11-13, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Convention Center
Wendelin Slusser, MD, MS
Associate Vice Provost of the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center & Clinical Professor
UCLA's Schools of Medicine and Public Health
Bio:
Wendelin Slusser, MD, MS (she/her/hers), serves as the Associate Vice Provost of the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center and a Clinical Professor at UCLA's Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Under her leadership, Semel HCI Center is building an inclusive culture of health for UCLA's community so everyone has a chance to thrive and flourish. Her career has been dedicated to promoting health and well-being with a keen focus on equity for children, young adults, and their families. Dr. Slusser's journey began with her international work in primary health care coordination with Save the Children in Africa, South America, and Asia, followed by her roles as a Clinical Faculty member with Wellstart International. Bringing her global experiences to local grounds, she has made significant contributions in Los Angeles through her roles as a UCLA physician, researcher, educator, and administrator. Food is central to Dr. Slusser's research such as the Fruit and Vegetable Bar Intervention study that inspired national policies and campaigns, including former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Salad Bar to Schools Campaign; and the Preventing Childhood Overweight through Parent Training intervention study, which was later adopted by the LA County Department of Public Health. In addition to her clinical practice in pediatrics, Dr. Slusser has been instrumental in integrating nutrition education into the training of health professionals across disciplines at UCLA. Her efforts culminated in the establishment of the UCLA Pediatric Residents’ primary care training track at Venice Family Clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Canter, and the UCLA teaching kitchen/learning laboratory. The teaching kitchen/learning laboratory aims to enhance nutrition education, address student food insecurity, and support research. Currently she is the Co-PI on the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative multisite clinical trial that is exploring the impact of food as medicine.
Dr. Slusser's contributions towards promoting health and optimal nutrition through the lens of equity are widely recognized. In 2008 she was Awarded the Beverllee Myers Award of Excellence, given annually to an individual in California who has exhibited outstanding public health leadership and accomplishments. In 2010 she was selected to be a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Obesity Prevention Policies for Young Children committee and she received the Robert F. Allen Symbol of H.O.P.E. award from the American Journal of Health Promotion for making an outstanding contribution to serving the health promotion needs of underserved populations. In 2020, she received the Venice Family Clinic Visionary Award and the UCLA Community Program Office’s Open Heart, Open Mind Award for her collaborative spirit, dedication in making the campus healthier and supporting basic needs of insecure students during the COVID-19 Crisis. In her free time, as a member of a fifth-generation California farming family, Dr. Slusser leads the sustainability efforts for her family’s ranch. See Dr. Slusser’s UCLA TedX talk, and UCLA LiveWell podcasts
Schedule
Wednesday, June 12
1:30pm - 2:30pm
Food as Medicine: Reducing Waste for a Healthier Future
Breakout Session 2
Is it possible to harness the power of food as medicine and prioritize nutritional and public health outcomes while simultaneously reducing food waste? In what promises to be an enlightening discussion, we’ll examine the intricate connections between efforts to improve public health and transform our food system. By centering nutritional and public health goals, we'll uncover strategies to optimize food production, value-added processing, distribution, and consumption – all while minimizing waste. Our panel will navigate the complexities of promoting health and sustainability within the food system, offering actionable insights to create a healthier, more resilient future for all.