Gabby Headrick
Gabby Headrick
Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in Nutrition
Full-time Faculty
School: Milken Institute School of Public Health
Department: Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
Contact:
Milken Institute School of Public Health
950 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Office 215
Washington DC 20052
Dr. Gabby Headrick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and Director of the Undergraduate Program in Nutrition at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. She is also the Associate Director of Food and Nutrition Policy at the Institute Institute for Food Safety & Nutrition Security and affiliated faculty at The George Washington University Global Food Institute.
As a food systems dietitian, Dr. Headrick’s research, teaching, and practice center on the social, environmental, and political determinants of food and nutrition security in the United States, with a particular focus on urban food systems. Her work is dedicated to advancing equitable and just food production, distribution, access, and affordability, ensuring that healthy, culturally preferred foods are available to all communities. She regularly collaborates with multidisciplinary teams spanning nutrition sciences, social sciences, urban planning, and health policy, partnering with researchers in government, bipartisan organizations, and academic institutions. She prioritizes community-engaged research, co-developing research questions with practitioners, policymakers, and grassroots leaders who can translate findings into action. Her collaborators include federal and local policymakers, nutrition advocacy groups, and community- based food and nutrition leaders, all working to drive meaningful change in food policy and practice in the United States.
Prior to joining GW in Fall 2023, Dr. Headrick earned her PhD in Public Health Nutrition from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she also completed her Master of Science in Public Health and certificate program in food systems, environment, and public health at the Center for a Livable Future. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and has worked across clinical, community, and governmental settings.
Food security
Nutrition equity
Food and nutrition policy
Food systems
Program and policy evaluation
Community-led research
EXNS 1109: Professional Foundations in Nutrition Science
EXNS 1114: Community Nutrition
EXNS 2119: Introduction to Nutrition Sciences
EXNS 2122: Food Systems and Public Health
EXNS 2127: Introduction to Food Policy
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Dietetics, Nutrition, and Food Sciences – The University of Vermont (2015)
Masters of Science in Public Health (MSPH) – The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2018)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health Nutrition – The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2023)
In my research, I draw from the fields of nutrition, sociology, and health policy to answer research questions that can inform future programs and policies aimed at promoting equitable access to healthy, culturally preferred, and affordable foods through evidence-based guidance. To date, my research has generated evidence to inform nutrition programs and policy decisions at the municipal and federal levels.
My long-term goal is to continue to collaborate with community leaders, nutrition advocates, and government stakeholders to identify and answer timely nutrition policy-related questions, disseminate the findings, and identify mechanisms to translate the findings effectively and efficiently into actionable change to achieve more just and equitable food systems and social benefit systems in the United States.
Current projects include:
• Rooting for Equity: A Case Study of the Expansion of Urban Agriculture within Affordable Housing Communities in Washington D.C. (In collaboration with the D.C. Office of Urban Agriculture and D.C. Food Policy Council)
• Addressing and Mitigating Food Insecurity among the George Washington University Student Community (Funded by The Global Food Institute)
• A Landscape Policy Analysis of the Investment and Innovation in Urban Food Systems through Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
Headrick G, Abdul K, Guru S, DeHonney A, Moran AJ, Surkan PJ, Raja S, Mui Y. “We Want to Eat and be Healthy just like Everybody Else:” How Social Infrastructures Affect Nutrition Equity in a Racialized Urban Community in the United States. Current developments in nutrition. 2024 Mar 1;8(3):102106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102106
Headrick G, Ruth A, White S, Ellison C, Seligman H, Bleich S, Moran A. Integration and coordination across public benefit programs: Insights from state and local government leaders in the United States. Preventative Medicine Reports. 2023; 31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102077
Headrick G, Ellison C, Bresnahan C, Green C, Lyons M, Moran A. State Implementation of SNAP Waivers and Flexibilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from State Agency Leaders. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2022; 54(11):982-997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2022.07.009
Mui Y, Headrick G, Chen J, Pollack C, Saleem H. Revisiting Revitalization: Exploring how structural determinants moderate pathways between neighborhood change and health. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2022; 21(1):165. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-01771-9
Moran AJ, Headrick G, Perez C, Greatsinger A, Taillie LS, Zatz L, Bleich S, Rimm E, Khandpur N. Food Marketing Practices of Major Online Grocery Retailers in the United States, 2019-2020. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2022. Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.04.003
Headrick G, Khandpur N, Perez C, Taillie LS, Bleich S, Rimm E, Moran A. A Content Analysis of Online Grocery Retail Policies and Practices Affecting Healthy Food Access. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2022; 54(3): 219 – 229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2021.09.006
Mui Y, Headrick G, Raja S, Palmer A, Ehsani JP, Pollack Porter K. Acquisition, mobility, and food insecurity: Integrated food systems opportunities across urbanicity levels highlighted by COVID-19. Public Health Nutrition. 2021; 25(1): 114-118. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021002755
Perez C, Moran A, Headrick G, McCarthy J, Cradock A, Pollack Porter KM. State and Local Healthy Kids’ Meal Laws in the United States: A Review and Analysis. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2021. Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2021.12.003
Headrick G, Hecht AA, Misiaszek C, Brosius S, Crone A, Surkan PJ. Customers’ Views on the Implementation of a Farmers Market Incentive Program: Successes and Opportunities for Improvement. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition. 2021; 16(4): 473-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2020.1842282
Misiaszek C, Hecht AA, Headrick G, Brosius S, Crone A, Surkan PJ. Implementation of a Farmer's Market Incentive Program in Maryland: Perspectives from Vendors. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2020; 9(2): 255-266. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2020.092.004
Hecht AA, Misiaszek C, Headrick G, Brosius S, Crone A, Surkan PJ. Manager Perspectives on Implementation of a Farmers Market Incentive Program in Maryland. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2019; 51(8):926-935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2019.04.001