Yeeli Mui

Yeeli Mui, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, specifically in the Department of International Health. She holds the Bloomberg Assistant Professorship of American Health and is affiliated with the Institute for Health and Social Policy (IHSP). Her research focuses on food systems planning and structural interventions to advance health equity through urban policy and planning.

• PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2017
• MPH, Yale University, 2010
• BS, University of California, Irvine, 2008

Dr. Mui's research centers on structural determinants of health, food security, and systems science. She uses community-based system dynamics and mixed-methods approaches to understand and address inequities in urban food systems. Her work explores how historical and structural factors like redlining and urban renewal shape food environments and obesity disparities. She leads research on urban planning tools that translate systems thinking into policy solutions and investigates how social networks in urban farming can drive community health improvements in marginalized neighborhoods.

Her recent publications (2018–2025) reflect a strong trend in food policy, systems modeling, and urban health equity. These works examine topics such as simulated food environments, food policy council networks, and restaurant-based interventions. The research consistently applies systems science to public health nutrition challenges across urban and rural settings.

Notable scientific awards include:

• Research Fellowship, Health Disparities Research Institute (NIMHD, 2022)
• Faculty Innovation Fund Award (2021)
• Bloomberg Endowed Professorship in Obesity and the Food System (2019)
• Brown Community Health Scholars Program (2012–2017)

Dr. Mui leads the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, where she conducts participatory research with communities to co-produce solutions for food insecurity. She is involved in multiple interdisciplinary projects, including the StOREE Study on structural racism and food environments. Her work is supported by institutional affiliations and external funding, and she collaborates widely with public health and planning professionals. She also contributes to the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and teaches current courses in her field.