Stacey Snelling

Dr. Stacey Snelling serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Studies at American University, directing the Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Lab. She maintains a secondary affiliation with Uniformed Services University, reflecting cross-institutional military health collaborations. Her leadership spans academic administration, research direction, and community intervention design.

Her research centers on Nutrition Education and Chronic Disease Prevention through behavior change frameworks grounded in the Social Ecological Model. Key interests include Food Systems Resilience, Sustainable Community Health, and Culturally Contextual Interventions targeting schools and underserved populations. The lab's approach integrates policy, environment, and individual behavior to transform food ecosystems.

Current grant portfolio demonstrates substantial funding momentum:

• Mobilize.Activate.Prosper: Cultivating Resilient Food Systems (2023-2026)
• Food Matters: SNAP Nutrition Education (2022-2027)
• Healthy Corners Program Evaluation (2022-2027)
• RECIPES Household Food Waste Management (2021-2026)
• Safe-at-Home Evaluation (2022-2024)

The Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Lab operates as an implementation engine for evidence-based community health transformation. It partners with DC public schools, corner stores, and SNAP offices to test real-world interventions. Recent outputs include the RECIPES Guiding Principles framework and 2025 Sustainability Symposium leadership, emphasizing actionable community solutions over theoretical research.