Rudd Center to Relocate to University of Connecticut

Yale University has announced that the Rudd Center for Food Policy and
Obesity will move to the University of Connecticut’s (UConn’s) Center for
Health, Intervention and Prevention in January 2015 to help launch a major
initiative prioritizing “health, wellness, and obesity prevention as an integral
part of the University’s mission.” According to a September 12, 2014, press
release, “[t]he move will allow Rudd Center researchers to expand their work
and build new collaborations with UConn experts on nutrition, public policy,
psychology, agriculture, economics, and obesity.”

Among other things, the partnership aims to encourage new research on a
wide variety of obesity-related topics, including: (i) “economic incentives and
the role of marketing in food choices”; (ii) “genetic and neurophysiological
moderators of risk for obesity”; (iii) “chemosensory perception in humans
and how it influences food preference and intake”; (iv) “weight management
interventions for adults and children”; (v) “[the] effects of cholesterol-lowering
medications on muscle performance”; (vi) “obesity prevention policies”; and
(vii) “weight-based stigma and bullying.”

“We are excited to join UConn and the community of world-class researchers
whose work is relevant to childhood obesity and weight stigma,” said Rudd
Center Director Marlene Schwartz. “By joining UConn during this monumental
time of growth, the Rudd Center will remain a leader in addressing how home
environments, school landscapes, neighborhoods, and the media shape the
eating attitudes and behaviors of children.”

Issue 538