معرفی
Alyssa Beavers is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her work focuses on urban gardening as a health promotion strategy and the relationship between food security and dietary behaviors. She employs community-based participatory research approaches, collaborating with local Detroit organizations.
Dr. Beavers holds a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Nutritional Science from Iowa State University, and a Dietetic Internship from Iowa State University. Her research examines how gardening impacts physical/mental health, factors affecting garden sustainability, and food procurement strategies during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key research areas include: urban agriculture's health benefits, food security measurement, and equitable community food systems. She has published extensively on topics like gardeners' microbiome changes, pandemic-era food access, and qualitative studies of community gardening motivations. Her recent work addresses Detroit's food response systems and the gardening triad concept linking caretaking, accomplishment, and nature connection.
Teaching responsibilities include courses like Nutritional Epidemiology and Controversial Issues in Clinical Nutrition. She collaborates across disciplines to advance health equity through sustainable food initiatives.
