Michele Ver Ploeg

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Bio

Michele (Shelly) Ver Ploeg is the new Director of the Food and Health Policy Institute at the Milken Institute School of Public Health of the George Washington University. Ver Ploeg joins SPH after spending 16 years at the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most recently as the Acting Assistant Administrator. She was also the Chief of the Food Assistance Branch for 2 years at ERS, where she led a team of economists and social scientists charged with producing data and research on food security, food assistance programs and food store access. As a staff economist at ERS, her research focused on food assistance programs, food access, the food environment, and their connection between diet and health. Ver Ploeg led a congressionally mandated USDA study on access to affordable and nutritious food and has published research on the relationship between food store access, food security, and diet-related health. She also spent six years as a Study Director at the Committee on National Statistics at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine where she led studies on data and methods for evaluating welfare reform, estimating eligibility and participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and data and measurement needs for eliminating health disparities. She is a member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, the American Agricultural Economics Association, and the American Statistical Association.

Expertise

Expertise:

Nutrition

Obesity

Safety Net Providers

Welfare Reform

Health Economics

Education:

Bachelor of Arts (Economics), Central College, 1992

Masters of Science (Consumer Economics and Housing), Cornell University, 1995

Doctor of Philosophy, Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University, 1998

Institutes and Centers:

Food and Health Policy Institute

Research

Research:

Professor Ver Ploeg's research focuses on how U.S. food and agriculture policies impact food security, diet, health, and the overall well-being of Americans and vulnerable populations such as low-income households, children, and the elderly. Ver Ploeg is the Director of the Food and Health Policy Institute.

Publications

Publications:

Peer-reviewed Publications

Ismail, Mehreen, Michele Ver Ploeg, Virginia R. Chomitz, and Parke Wilde, (2020) “Differences in food-at-home spending for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and non-SNAP households given geographic price variation.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Jul;120 (7):1142-1150.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2019.12.017.

Fitzpatrick, Katie, Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley, Michele Ver Ploeg. (2019) “Food Deserts and Diet-Related Health Outcomes of the Elderly.” Food Policy, Published Online August 6, 2019: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919219305640?via%3Dihub.

Rhone, Alana, Michele Ver Ploeg, Vince Breneman, and Ryan Williams (2019). Understanding Low-Income and Low-Access Census Tracts Across the Nation: Subnational and Subpopulation Estimates of Access to Healthy Food. EIB-209, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, May.

Boehm, Rebecca, Michele Ver Ploeg, Parke Wilde, & Sean Cash. (2019). Greenhouse gas emissions, total food spending and diet quality by share of household food spending on red meat: Results from a nationally representative sample of US households. Public Health Nutrition, 1-13. doi:10.1017/S136898001800407X.

Fan, Linlin, Kathy Baylis, Craig Gundersen and Michele Ver Ploeg (2018). Does a nutritious diet cost more in food deserts? Agricultural Economics. Published June 26, 2018. DOI: 10.1111/agec.12444.

Boehm, Rebecca, Parke E. Wilde, Michele Ver Ploeg, Christine Costello, Sean B. Cash (2018). “A Comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from US Household Food Choices.” Food Policy. Published June 6, 2018.

Ver Ploeg, Michele and Parke Wilde (2018). How do food retail choices vary within and between food retail environments? Food Policy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2018.03.005 Published online March 11, 2018.

Wilde, Parke, Abigail Steiner, and Michele Ver Ploeg (2017). For low-income Americans, living 1 mile (1.6 km) from the nearest supermarket is not associated with self-reported household food security. Current Developments in Nutrition, CDN/2017/001446 Version 2.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Elizabeth Larimore, and Parke Wilde (2017). The Influence of Foodstore Access on Grocery Shopping and Food Spending. EIB-180, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, November.

Rhone, Alana, Ver Ploeg, Michele, Dicken, Chris, Williams, Ryan, and Breneman, Vince. (2017) Low-Income and Low-Supermarket-Access Census Tracts, 2010-2015, EIB-165, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, January.

Clay, Dawn Marie, Michele Ver Ploeg, Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Howard Elitzak, Christian Gregory, David Levin, Constance Newman, and Matthew Rabbitt, (2016) Comparing National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) Data with Other National Food Surveys’ Data, Economic Information Bulletin No. 157, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, July, 33pp.

Fitzpatrick, K., N. Greenhalgh-Stanley and M. Ver Ploeg (2015). “The Impact of Food Deserts on Food Insufficiency and SNAP Participation among the Elderly.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Published on Advance Access Alert, September, 2015.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Lisa Mancino, Jessica E. Todd, Dawn Marie Clay, and Benjamin Scharadin (2015). Where Do Americans Usually Shop for Food and How Do They Travel To Get There? Initial Findings from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey. Economic Information Bulletin (EIB-138). March 23, 2015.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Paula Dutko and Vince Breneman (2014). Measuring Food Access and Food Deserts for Policy Purposes. Applied Economic Policy and Perspectives, November.

Todd, Jessica and Michele Ver Ploeg, (2014). Caloric Beverage Intake among Adult Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participants. American Journal of Public Health, 104(9): e80-e85, September, 2014.

Lin, Biing-Hwan, Michele Ver Ploeg, Panigiotis Kasteridis, and Stephen T. Yen. (2014). The Roles of Food Prices and Food Access in Determining Food Purchases of Low-income Households. Journal of Policy Modeling, September, 2014.

Wilde, Parke, Joseph Llobrera, and Michele Ver Ploeg, (2014). Population Density, Poverty, and Food Retail Access in the United States: An Empirical Approach. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 17(Special Issue A).

Andrews, Margaret, Rhea Bhatta, and Michele Ver Ploeg. (2013) An Alternative to Developing Stores in Food Deserts: Can Changes in SNAP Benefits Make a Difference? Applied Economic Policy and Perspectives, 35(1): 130-150.

Gregory, Christian, Michele Ver Ploeg, Margaret Andrews, and Alisha Coleman-Jensen, (2013), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation Leads to Modest Changes in Diet Quality, Economic Research Report No. 147, ERS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, April, 2013.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Vince Breneman, Paula Dutko, Ryan Williams, Samantha Snyder, Chris Dicken, Philip Kaufman (2012). Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Updated Estimates of Distance to Supermarkets Using 2010 Data. Economic Research Report No. 143. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, November, 2012.

Dutko, Paula, Michele Ver Ploeg, and Tracey Farrigan (2012). Characteristics and Influential Factors of Food Deserts. Economic Research Report No. 140, Economic Research Service, August, 2012.

Newman, Constance, Jessica Todd, and Michele Ver Ploeg, “Children’s Participation in Multiple Food Assistance Programs: Changes from 1990 to 2008”. Social Service Review 85(4): 535-564, December, 2011.

Chang, Hung-Hao, Michele Ver Ploeg, Biing-Hwan Lin, 2010. ‘Changes in the Propensity of Overweight U.S Women to Under-assess Their Body Weight Status”, Food Policy, Vol. 35(4), August, 2010.

Todd, Jessica E., Constance Newman, and Michele Ver Ploeg, 2010. “Changing Participation in Food Assistance Programs among Low-Income Children after Welfare Reform”. Economic Research Report No. 92, Economic Research Service, February, 2010.

Ver Ploeg, Michele 2009, “Do Benefits of U.S. Food Assistance Programs for Children Spillover to Older Children in the Same Household?” Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Vol. 30(4), December 2009.

Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences, Report to Congress, U.S. Department of Agriculture, ERS, June, 2009.

Ver Ploeg, Michele 2009, “WIC and the Battle Against Childhood Overweight”. Economic Brief No. 13. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, April, 2009. 4pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele and Constance F. Citro, 2008, “Poverty Measurement: Orshansky’s Original Measures and the Development of Alternatives.” Review of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 30(3), pp.581-590.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Hung-Hao Chang, and Biing-Hwan Lin, 2008 “Over, Under, or About Right: Misperceptions of Body Weight among Food Stamp Participants,” Obesity, Vol. 16(9), pp. 2120-2125.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Lisa Mancino, Biing-Hwan Lin, and Joanne Guthrie, 2008, “U.S. Food Assistance Programs and Trends in Children’s Weight”, International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, Vol. 3(1), pp.22-30.

Ver Ploeg, Michele and Katherine Ralston, 2008, Food Stamps and Obesity: What Do We Know? Economic Information Bulletin, No. 34. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, March, 2008, 31 pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Lisa Mancino, and Biing-Hwan Lin, 2007, Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs and Obesity: 1976-2002, Economic Research Report No. ERR-48. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 42 pp.

Guthrie, Joanne F., Biing-Hwan Lin, Michele Ver Ploeg, and Elizabeth Frazao, 2007, “Overview: Can Food Stamps Do More to Improve Food Choices? An Economic Perspective”, Economic Information Bulletin Number 29-1, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, September 2007, 8 pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Lisa Mancino, Biing-Hwan Lin, and Chia-Yih Wang, 2007, “The Vanishing Weight Gap: Trends in Obesity among Adult Food Stamp Participants (US) (1976-2002)”, Economics & Human Biology, Vol. 5(1), pp. 20-36.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, 2002. “Children from Disrupted Families as Adults: Family Structure and College Completion”, Economics of Education Review, 21(2), pp. 171-184.

Edited Volumes, Book Chapters, and Non-Technical Publications

Hao, Yonping, Hope Landrine, Michele Ver Ploeg, Xingyou Zhang, 2020, “Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling for the Linkages between Air Pollution and Population Health”, pp.91-105. Chapter in Spatiotemporal Analysis of Air Pollution and Its Application in Public Health. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815822-7.00004-2.

Michele Ver Ploeg and Christopher J. O’Leary, 2019. “The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Unemployment Insurance Cushioned the Great Recession”. Amber Waves (feature), November, 2019.

Michele Ver Ploeg and Ilya Rahkovsky, 2016, “Recent Evidence on the Effects of Food Store Access on Food Choice and Diet Quality” Amber Waves (feature), Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, May, 2016.

Todd, Jessica and Michele Ver Ploeg, 2015, “Restricting Sugar-Sweetened Beverages from SNAP Purchases Not Likely To Lower Consumption,” Amber Waves (feature), Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture March.

Oliveira, Victor, Laura Tiehen, and Michele Ver Ploeg, 2014, “USDA’s Food Assistance Programs: Legacies of the War on Poverty,” Amber Waves (feature), Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, February.

Paula Dutko and Michele Ver Ploeg, 2013. “Different Measures of Food Access Inform Different Solutions.” Amber Waves (feature), Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, March.

Dave D. Weatherspoon, Michele Ver Ploeg, Paula Dutko, An Evaluation of Food Deserts in America, Guest Editors for Choices, November 2012.

Tiehen, Laura and Michele Ver Ploeg, 2012. “SNAP Benefits Alleviate the Intensity and Incidence of Poverty”. Amber Waves (feature). Vol 20(2): 1-6, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, June, 2012.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, David Nulph, and Ryan Williams, 2011. “Mapping Food Deserts in the U.S.” Amber Waves (Data feature). Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, December, 2011.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, 2011. Food Assistance and Obesity, in The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity. John Cawley, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 415-432.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, 2010. “Access to Affordable, Nutritious Food Is Limited in “Food Deserts”. Amber Waves (feature). Vol. 8, Issue 1, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, March.

Ver Ploeg, Michele and Katherine Ralston, 2008, “Food Stamps and Obesity: What Do We Know?” Amber Waves (feature), Vol. 6, Issue 4, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, June, 2008.

Guthrie, Joanne F., Biing-Hwan Lin, Michele Ver Ploeg, and Elizabeth Frazao, 2007, Overview: Can Food Stamps Do More to Improve Food Choices? An Economic Perspective, Economic Information Bulletin Number 29-1, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, September 2007, 8 pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Lisa Mancino, and Biing-Hwan Lin, 2006, “Food Stamps and Obesity: Complex Puzzle or Ironic Twist?” Amber Waves (feature), Vol. 4 Issue 1, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, February, pp. 32-39.

Ver Ploeg, Michele and Edward Perrin, eds., 2004, Eliminating Health Disparities: Measurement and Data Needs, Report of the Panel on DHHS Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2004, 310 pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele and David Betson, eds. 2003, Estimating Eligibility and Participation for the WIC Program: Final Report, Report of the Panel to Evaluate the USDA’s Methodology for Estimating Eligibility for and Participation in the WIC Program. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2003, 218 pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, 2002, “Pre-Exit Benefit Receipt and Employment Histories and Post-Exit Outcomes of Welfare Leavers,” in Data Collection and Research Issues for Studies of Welfare Populations, (M. Ver Ploeg, R.A. Moffitt. and Constance F. Citro, eds.), Washington, DC: National Academy Press, pp. 415-465.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Robert A. Moffitt and Constance F. Citro, eds., 2002, Studies of Welfare Populations: Data Collection and Research Issues. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2002, 526 pp.

Moffitt, Robert A. and Michele Ver Ploeg, eds., 2001, Evaluating Welfare Reform in an Era of Transition, Report of the Panel on Data and Methods for Measuring the Effects of Changes in Social Welfare Programs, National Academies Press, 2001, 253 pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele and David Betson, eds., 2001, Estimating Eligibility and Participation for the WIC Program: Phase I Report, Report of the Panel to Evaluate the USDA’s Methodology for Estimating Eligibility for and Participation in the WIC Program, Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2001, 98 pp.

Ver Ploeg, Michele, Joseph Altonji, Norman Bradburn, Julie DaVanzo, William Nordhaus, and Francisco Samaniego, eds., 2000, Time Use Measurement and Research: Summary of a Workshop, Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2000, 128 pp.

Moffitt, Robert A. and Michele Ver Ploeg, 1999, Evaluating Welfare Reform: A Framework and Review of Current Work, Interim Report of the Panel on Data and Methods for Measuring the Effects of Changes in Social Welfare Programs, Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 1999, 151 pp.

Web 2019 Update - CSS

Michele

Ver Ploeg, PhD

Associate Professor of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences, and Director of the Food Policy Institute

Michele Ver Ploeg

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