LaPorchia Collins Appointed to Named Professorship

Dr. LaPorchia Collins has been appointed as the inaugural recipient of the Friedman School Professorship for Nutrition Equity, as nominated by the School and approved by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Collins is well recognized for her work as an applied economist studying the economics and policy of food, agriculture, and nutrition with a focus on equity and addressing inequalities across the food system. Her scholarship examines critical issues at the food-health-environment nexus, including social dimensions of food insecurity.

Prior to joining the Friedman School, Dr. Collins served as a research agricultural economist with the USDA’s Economic Research Service, where she contributed to understanding topics such as farm management, minority farm performance, and environmental impacts linked to plant-based dietary trends.

Dr. Collins is active in several specialization areas at the Friedman School. Find out more about our Agriculture, Food, and Environment; Climate, Sustainability, and Food; and Nutrition Equity specializations. 

Dr. Collins spoke with the Friedman School News Staff about her current projects and things she is looking forward to as a new member of our community. 

Friedman School News Staff: Could you provide a few highlights about research projects you’re currently working on? What is your area of greatest interest at the moment?

LaPorchia Collins: My research efforts are focused on addressing equity-related issues that lie at intersections of food, ag, and nutrition. I am currently working on projects related to understanding structural drivers of nutrition insecurity, measuring food security among ag workers, evaluating the economic effects of Food is Medicine interventions on the farms through which goods are sourced, and building food system resilience to environmental shocks— particularly among small farmers and businesses across the food supply chain. These efforts will help inform interventions for improving the well-being of ag producers and increasing food security among historically marginalized communities.

FS: Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share about being appointed as the inaugural recipient of the Friedman School Professorship for Nutrition Equity?

LC: This appointment is a wonderful honor. Establishing this professorship speaks not only to the University and School's commitment to food and nutrition equity but also to that of our stakeholders who have made addressing nutrition and health disparities a priority.

FS: You’ve very recently joined the School— What are you looking forward to in your new role?

LC: Friedman School faculty have expertise across a broad range of fields, from nutrition to climate science to food economics, so I am looking forward to continuing to build interdisciplinary research collaborations that will have tangible impact on communities. I am also looking forward to engaging more with our students. They have such creative and bold ideas for effecting change in society, and it is inspiring to see their enthusiasm and witness their journeys.

The Friedman School Professorship for Nutrition Equity was established in 2022 to advance nutrition equity, food security, food justice, and health disparities and will support distinguished faculty members in perpetuity.

You can read more about our named professorships here.