Biography

Betty Izumi received her PhD in 2008 from Michigan State University where she worked and studied with the CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems. She received her Master’s in Public Health (2000) and her Registered Dietitian credential (2001) at the University of California, Berkeley, and her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics (1998) at the University of British Columbia. Broadly, her interests include nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and community-based food systems. As a postdoctoral research fellow with the Kellogg Health Scholars Program (University of Michigan), Betty works with the Healthy Environments Partnership, an on-going CBPR project designed to examine and address aspects of the social and built environments that contribute to disparities in risk of cardiovascular disease in Detroit. She is currently involved in two multi-level CBPR projects: (1) Lean and Green in Motown, a study designed to assess how changes in the built environment (e.g. food stores) influence health related behaviors and outcomes and (2) Walk Your Heart to Health, a project designed to increase active living and improve heart health among Detroit residents through walking groups led by community health promoters.