About me:
I am extremely curious by nature, which is what led me into science. Having a question and designing a study to arrive at the answer is very exciting for me! I love engaging in deep and thoughtful discussions about life with anyone who will join me. I am married and the mother of two elementary school children, a boy and girl. Spending time with my family is what nourishes my heart and soul.

Interests:
Geography; traveling to new places; mentoring young people; food and wine; and making a difference in society by contributing more than I am taking.

Activities: Practicing yoga; hiking the mountains of New England (and any place else my travels take me); cooking simple meals with fresh, whole foods. I love baking with my 5-year-old daughter, and biking with my 8-year-old son. As a family, we love adventure and exploring new places together. We all like challenging ourselves and supporting each other.

Favorite books:
I love reading non-fiction and biographies. Other favorites include The Red Tent; Tuesdays with Morrie; and Finding the Deep River Within.

Favorite movies:
I love foreign films and documentaries. Cinema Paradiso, Life is Beautiful, and Central Station are some of my favorites. I also enjoyed Crash, Babel, and Boys Don’t Cry.

Favorite TV shows:
Yikes, I hardly watch it except for Red Sox and Patriots games. When I do, I like to watch Saturday Night Live and Oprah ... and sometimes I catch reruns of Seinfeld.

Favorite quotes:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” --Ghandi

“Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their carvings.” --Elisabeth Kubler Ross

displayname
Christina Economos, Ph.D.

professional background

Christina Economos, Ph.D., is the New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition and Assistant professor at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She is the principal investigator of multiple large-scale, community-based interventions examining childhood nutrition and physical activity with the goal of improving the health of America's children. These research interventions include The BONES Project ("Beat Osteoporosis: Nourish and Exercise Skeletons"), funded by NICHD; "Shape Up Somerville;" "EAT SMART, PLAY HARD," funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "The CHANGE Project" with Save the Children; and "Assessing and Preventing Obesity in New Immigrants," funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH). Results from "Shape Up Somerville," published in the May 2007 issue of Obesity, showed that study participants -- Somerville public schoolchildren in grades 1-3 -- gained significantly less weight over the course of the 2-year intervention than their peers in two control communities.

Degrees:

Ph.D., Tufts University
M.S., Columbia University
B.S., Boston University

Associations:

• New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition at Tufts University
• Director, Children in Balance Initiative at Tufts University
• Associate Director, John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition
• Assistant Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University School of Medicine
• Principal Investigator, NIH and CDC research grants
• Appointed Member, Institute of Medicine's Committee on an Evidence Framework for Obesity Prevention Decision-Making
• Member, National Dairy Council, 3-A Day Advisory Panel, Milk Processor Education Program Medical Advisory Board, Chartwells Child Nutrition Advisory Board
• Consultant, American Academy of Family Physicians, Americans in Motion
• Co-founder, The Sensible Nutrition Connection
• Former Team Nutritionist for the New York Islanders
• American College of Sports Medicine and American Society for Clinical Nutrition

Awards:

• Woman of Valor 2005, American Diabetes Association
• Faculty Fellowship, University College of Citizenship & Public Service, Tufts
• Outstanding Faculty of the Year, Tufts University
• "5 A Day for Better Health" Outstanding Leadership Award, NCI
• The Cormack Award, Tufts University
• National Research Service Award