Amy Saxe-Custack

Dr. Amy Saxe-Custack is an Associate Professor with Tenure in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. She serves as Nutrition Director for the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a joint effort between MSU and Hurley Children's Hospital addressing Flint's lead exposure impact on children through nutrition-focused interventions.

Her educational background includes:

• Doctorate in Human Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University
• Dietetic Internship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Master of Public Health in Human Nutrition, University of Michigan School of Public Health
• Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences, Michigan State University

Dr. Saxe-Custack's research centers on pediatric nutrition, food security, and diet-related health disparities in low-income urban communities. As a long-time Flint resident, she specializes in evaluating fruit and vegetable prescription programs and developing community-based initiatives like 'Flint Kids Cook' to improve fresh food access for children and families. Her work emphasizes ecological factors in chronic disease prevention and leverages partnerships with local organizations including the Flint Farmers' Market and Hurley Children's Center.

Her 13 publications (2014-2022) demonstrate consistent focus on nutrition interventions for underserved pediatric populations. Key themes include produce prescription program impacts on dietary patterns and food security, farmers' market shopping behaviors, and cooking/nutrition program effectiveness. Her research employs mixed-methods approaches with strong community engagement, primarily targeting Flint's post-lead-crisis recovery context.

No scientific awards or fellowships are mentioned in the source material, though her work has received significant media coverage from PBS News Hour, U.S. News, and MSUToday.

As Principal Investigator on four major grants totaling over $694,000, Dr. Saxe-Custack leads projects expanding produce prescriptions to prenatal populations (Michigan Health Endowment Fund), developing virtual nutrition programs (Spina Family Foundation), and assessing long-term program impacts (NIH-NICHD). While specific advisees aren't listed, her role involves mentoring students and junior researchers through these initiatives.

She actively collaborates with the Flint Farmers' Market and Hurley Children's Center on the Pediatric Public Health Initiative and 'Flint Kids Cook' program, which provides hands-on nutrition education to low-income children through cooking classes and fresh produce access.