2026 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit

Dr. Alice Ammerman, DrPH, is the Mildred Kaufman Distinguished Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Director of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Dr. Ammerman is interested in design, testing, implementation, and dissemination of innovative clinical and community-based nutrition and physical activity interventions for chronic disease risk reduction. She and colleagues have developed and are testing the “Med-South” diet, which is the Mediterranean diet adapted to agricultural availability and taste preferences in the Southeastern U.S. Her research addresses the role of sustainable food systems in health, the environment, and economic well-being, emphasizing the social determinants of health, particularly food access and food insecurity.

Dr. Ammerman uses social entrepreneurship as a sustainable approach to addressing public health concerns and founded a social business, Equiti Foods, which makes healthy frozen locally sourced meals, including medically tailored meals. She works with the UNC School of Medicine to enhance nutrition training for medical students, including culinary medicine.