Renita Woolford

Renita is a 2008 graduate of Duke University where she earned a degree in Women's Studies. On campus, Renita served as a peer educator for safe-sex and healthy lifestyles, the president of her sorority, a mentor to 5th grade girls, and a volunteer at her local hospital. Originally from Georgia, Renita attended The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Field placement: Lifelong

Seattle, Washington

Renita researched federally funded nutritional counseling and home-delivered meal programs for individuals in the Seattle area living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses with a focus on the impact of nutrition therapy on health care outcomes and costs.  She also conducted interviews for a story bank documenting individuals’ experiences with nutritional counseling and home-delivered meal programs.

Policy placement: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Washington, D.C.

Renita worked in the Joint Center's Health Policy Institute researching the influence of food stamp eligibility and poverty in perpetuating health disparities and increasing coronary heart disease risk among African American women. She also produced a Community Best Practices Guideline as a resource to help community members understand and address hunger and poverty issues, particularly for African American women.

Publications