Christopher L. Fink

Christopher L. Fink is a Professor in the Department of Health & Human Kinetics and Co-Director of the Public Health Program at Ohio Wesleyan University. He has served as department chair since 2010 and focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration in curriculum development and program design. His research emphasizes dietary health, food insecurity, and Mediterranean cultural influences on dietary behaviors, with extensive fieldwork in Italy, particularly on the Italian sagra festivals. He co-organizes the biennial Perugia Food and Sustainability conference and teaches a summer course on the Mediterranean diet at the Umbra Institute.

Education:

• B.S., Lake Superior State University
• M.S., Indiana University-Bloomington
• Ph.D., The Ohio State University

His work includes directing a Delaware County food insecurity program with Local Matters and leading projects on cancer survivorship nutrition and traditional food knowledge. He holds leadership roles in the Partnership for a Healthy Delaware County and the National Governing Board for Nutritional Needs of Cancer Survivors (NNOCS).

Research interests span qualitative studies on food culture, community-building through food traditions, and systemic approaches to health promotion. He is affiliated with Slow Food and the American College of Sports Medicine.