Maria Gombi-Vaca

Maria Gombi-Vaca, PhD, serves as an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, where she leads research on food insecurity and community nutrition interventions. Her work focuses on implementing nutrition guidelines within charitable food systems through implementation science frameworks and analyzing nationwide dietary data to assess ultra-processed food impacts.

Education Background:

• Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Connecticut, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health (2023)
• Ph.D in Public Health, University of São Paulo, School of Medicine, Brazil (2021)
• M.P.H. in Epidemiology, Rio de Janeiro State University, Institute of Social Medicine, Brazil (2014)
• M.B.A. in Marketing, FUNDACE, University of São Paulo, Brazil (2008)
• B.S. in Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto (2004)

Her research spans food insecurity interventions, ultra-processed food epidemiology, and implementation science for charitable food systems, with particular emphasis on culturally connected nutrition approaches. Recent work analyzes pandemic relief measures for low-wage families and develops nutrition ranking systems for food pantries using the NOVA classification framework. Her publication trends reveal deep engagement with Brazilian dietary patterns, food environment analysis, and real-world policy implementation challenges in food assistance programs.

Scientific Recognition:

No specific awards or fellowships were documented in the source materials.

Dr. Gombi-Vaca actively collaborates with food banks and community organizations to translate research into practice, though detailed grant information was not provided. Her work bridges academic research with practical food system improvements through the Rudd Center's policy-focused mission. Current projects include evaluating minimum wage policies' health impacts and optimizing behavioral economics interventions in food pantries to improve diet quality for vulnerable populations.