Allison Maria Lacko

Dr. Allison Maria Lacko is an Adjunct Professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health (UNC Chapel Hill) and a Social Science Policy Analyst at the USDA's Child Nutrition Research and Analysis Division. Previously, she served as a Research Scientist at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), leading projects like a $2M USDA cooperative agreement to improve equity in child nutrition programs. Her expertise spans nutrition policy, food insecurity, and public health advocacy.

Education: Ph.D. in Nutrition Epidemiology from UNC Gillings School (201X), B.A. in Economics-Political Science from Columbia University. Recognized as a Carolina Population Center Predoctoral Fellow and Royster Fellow. Peace Corps service (Costa Rica 2012-2014) focused on community economic development.

Research interests include:

• Equitable federal nutrition policies
• Socioeconomic determinants of food purchasing behaviors
• Disparities in food security across urban/rural divides
• Impact of public health programs during crises (e.g., pandemic response)

Key achievements: Evaluated WIC Community Innovation Grants, led USDA-funded equity projects, and contributed to arsenic remediation research in environmental science. Recent work emphasizes policy solutions for hunger reduction and nutrition program optimization.

Awards:

• Carolina Population Center Predoctoral Fellowship
• Royster Graduate Fellowship

Grants/Projects: $2M USDA cooperative agreement, WIC grant evaluations. Active in policy analysis and program evaluation for federal nutrition initiatives.