Alice Ammerman, DrPH

About

 Dr. Ammerman is interested in design, testing, implementation and dissemination of innovative clinical and community-based nutrition and physical activity interventions for chronic disease risk reduction in low income and minority populations. She is Director of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP), part of a national network of 26 CDC prevention research centers (PRCs) that work with community partners to identify public health problems to develop and evaluate prevention-focused public health interventions for wide dissemination, particularly in underserved communities. Dr. Ammerman and colleagues have developed and are testing the “Med-South” diet which is the Mediterranean diet adapted to agricultural availability and taste preferences in the Southeastern US. Her research addresses the role of sustainable food systems in health, the environment, and economic well-being, emphasizing the social determinants of health, particularly food access and food insecurity.  Dr. Ammerman teaches courses in Nutrition Policy and Public Health Entrepreneurship. She has a developing interest in Culinary Medicine to improve medical training programs and uses social entrepreneurship as a sustainable approach to addressing public health concerns.

Alice Ammerman in the Gillings News

Honors and Awards

Public Health Systems and Services Research, Academic Researcher Award from the North Carolina Public Health Association
2014, North Carolina Public Health Association

Ned Brooks Award for Public Service
2011, UNC-CH

Excellence in Dietary Guidance Award
2006, American Public Health Association

Greenberg Award
2000, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Delta Omega Honor Society and Special Service Award
1981, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Magna Cum Laude
1976, Duke University

Representative Courses

Co-Teaches NUTR 245: Sustainable, Local Food Systems – Intersection of local foods and public health

NUTR 780: Public Health Entrepreneurship

NUTR 875: Nutrition Policy Seminar

Research Interests:

Aging, Behavior Science, Cancer, Diabetes, Health Equity, Health Services and Systems Strengthening, Heart Disease and Stroke, Implementation Science, Nutrition and Physical Activity, Obesity, Oral Health, Public Health Studies (Design, Conduct and Analysis)

Key Publications

Developing an agenda for research about policies to improve access to healthy foods in rural communities: a concept mapping study. A Ammerman, C Byker, W Dean, S Fleischhacker, D Johnson, J Kolodinsky, C Pinard, S Pitts, E Quinn, J Sharkey, M Sitaker (2014). BMC public health, 14(1), 592.

A Comparison of Live Counseling With a Web-Based Lifestyle and Medication Intervention to Reduce Coronary Heart Disease Risk: A Randomized Clinical Trial. A Ammerman, S Bangdiwala, K Donahue, L Draeger, K Evenson, E Finkelstein, Z Gizlice, M Gross, L Johnston, T Keyserling, E Kruger, M Pignone, C Samuel-Hodge, S Sheridan, P Sloane, E Steinbacher, M Vu, B Weiner (2014). JAMA internal medicine.

A systematic approach to evaluating public health training: The obesity prevention in public health course. Alice Ammerman, Rosanne Farris, Cecilia Gonzales, Claire Heiser, Jennifer Leeman, Avia Mainor, Janice Sommers (2014). Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

Associations Between Neighborhood-Level Factors Related to a Healthful Lifestyle and Dietary Intake, Physical Activity, and Support for Obesity Prevention Polices Among Rural Adults. Alice Ammerman, Kelly Evenson, Beverly Garcia, Ziya Gizlice, Larry Johnston, Thomas Keyserling, Jared McGuirt, Stephanie Pitts, Ann Rafferty, Tosha Smith (2014). Journal of Community Health.

Education