Christina Economos

Christina Economos, Ph.D., is co-Founder and Director of ChildObesity180, the New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition, and an Associate Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the School of Medicine at Tufts University.

Dr. Economos’s research efforts have addressed the interaction among nutrition, exercise, body composition, bone health, and the built environment, toward preventing osteoporosis and obesity, starting in early childhood. As the principal investigator of large-scale research studies, her goal is to inspire behavior, policy, and environmental change to reduce obesity and improve the health of America’s children. She has worked effectively with diverse communities and has crafted, implemented, and evaluated a physical activity and nutrition education curriculum.

At ChildObesity180 she blends scientific evidence and rigor with innovation and experience from the private sector to develop, implement, evaluate, and scale high-impact obesity prevention initiatives. Dr. Economos led the Shape Up Somerville study demonstrating that it is possible to reduce excess weight gain in children through multiple leverage points within an entire community.

Dr. Economos is involved in national obesity and public health activities and has served on several Institute of Medicine committees, including the Committee on an Evidence Framework for Obesity Prevention Decision-Making, the Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention, the Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention, and the Roundtable for Obesity Solutions, as well as an invited member of American Heart Association’s Nutrition Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. Dr. Economos received a Bachelor of Science from Boston University, a Master of Science in Applied Physiology and Nutrition from Columbia University and a doctorate in Nutritional Biochemistry Science from Tufts University.