Our People
Meet the Team
Alison Gustafson, PhD, MPH, RDN
Program Director
Dr. Gustafson conducts community based interventions focused on improving food access to underserved rural populations. She also focuses on health disparities related to rural and minority populations using mental health interventions and digital technology. Dr. Gustafson founded the Food as Health Alliance to combine the agricultural, medical, and nutrition focused resources at UK in an effort to improve diet related health outcomes across the Commonwealth.
Lauren Batey, MS, RDN
Program Coordinator
Lauren Batey is a registered dietitian with a Master's in Nutrition and Food Systems from the University of Kentucky. Her research is focused on culture and nutrition related chronic disease in Appalachia and other geographically isolated rural communities. Lauren joined the Alliance to make use of her marketing background in the creation of community and professional resources promoting food as health.
Christa Mayfield, MS
Research Coordinator
Christa Mayfield has her Master's of Science in Agriculture, Food, & Environment from Tufts' Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy. Her work has focused on improving food and nutrition security through access to federal food programs and building strong community networks. Christa will support the Alliance's research efforts to test, implement, and examine the effectiveness of multiple food as health interventions across the Commonwealth.
Emerging Themes for Research Team
Josh Bush
Carolyn Lauckner
Nate Helsley
