Education

MPH, Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

BS, Nutritional Science, Texas Christian University (TCU)

Biography

Miguel Ángel Lopez is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) trained in social epidemiology. He received his BS in Nutritional Science from Texas Christian University (TCU) and completed his MPH in Epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, where he is currently a PhD candidate in the department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences. His research interests surround social determinants of nutrition-related outcomes, with a focus on the Latinx community and food (in)security. Prior to moving to New Orleans, Mr. Lopez worked as a dietitian in his hometown, Fort Worth, TX and focused on promoting dietary behavior change among Spanish-speaking patients living with nutrition-related diseases, like type II diabetes and hypertension.  Since starting his doctoral program, Mr. Lopez' work has narrowed in on advancing knowledge surrounding the United States' observed and perceived food and nutrition environment and the social structures that perpetuate inequities among Latinx people. Recently, Mr. Lopez worked on a project surveying households with minors on formal- and informal- food assistance program use and food (in)security in a low-income district of Lima, Peru. At present, in concurrence with working on his dissertation research, Mr. Lopez is part of a USDA-funded research project building a systematic review on tools used to measure structural violence and its association with nutrition-related outcomes in the United States.

Dissertation Info

Death by English: Navigating an Anglo-centered Food and Nutrition Environment as a Linguistically Isolated Latino Living in the United States.
Abstract: https://tulane.box.com/s/u8svi7e1h70hg7wghdosns06mnetp5qy

Publications

• Brewer, J. D., Santos, M. P., Lopez, M. A., Paz-Soldan, V. A., & Chaparro, M. P.. (2021). Use of Formal and Informal Food Resources by Food Insecure Families in Lima, Peru: A Mixed-Methods Analysis. Journal of Community Health, 46(6), 1069–1077. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-021-00989-y
• Rose, D., Vance, C., & Lopez, M. A. (2021). Livestock Industry Practices that Impact Sustainable Diets in the United States. The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.48416/ijsaf.v27i1.87