UNE attendees contribute to national SNAP-Ed conference

The Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) had a strong presence at the annual meeting of SNAP-Ed implementing agents. The Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA) hosts this event each year to position agents from across the US to discuss emerging policy issues and share best practices. The event was held virtually from February 1-3.

Not surprisingly, this year’s conference offered a significant focus on public health approaches to alleviating hunger during the pandemic. Another recurring theme was equity in programming and planning.

CEPH Senior Research Associates Pamela Bruno, MPH, and Kira Rodriguez, MHS, presented on their work, as did Obesity Prevention Coordinator Hannah Ruhl, MPH, and Emily Estell, RDN, MPH, a nutrition educator from UNE’s Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition at the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Collectively, these UNE professionals highlighted their work in social marketing and media, program evaluation, COVID-19’s impact on program delivery, and virtual training strategies. They also participated in panel presentations highlighting their recent research and practice collaborations with academic peers from partner universities, sharing lessons learned and emerging evidence.

UNE implements Maine SNAP-Ed through a contract with Maine’s Office for Family Independence with funding from the US Department of Agriculture. The program addresses food insecurity and obesity prevention in low-resource communities across the state.