Melissa Laska
Co-Director, Healthy Weight Research Center
Member, Masonic Cancer Center
- Health
- Health policy
- Population health
Introduction
Melissa Laska, Ph.D., RD, is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.
Laska’s expertise is in nutrition and obesity prevention. Over the past decade she has led a multifaceted research portfolio, with particular interests in modifiable and contextual determinants of obesity, dietary patterns, and food environments. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and American Heart Association.
Laska serves as co-director for the Healthy Weight Research Center at the University of Minnesota, which aims to prevent obesity through conducting and disseminating interdisciplinary research, preparing the next generation of researchers, and connecting the community to research on obesity prevention.