The Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN) is a collaborative applied research network that informs policies and practices designed to improve nutrition and prevent obesity. NOPREN members include researchers and practitioners interested in how policies and programs enacted at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels impact families’ food security, access to healthy food and water, and nutrition and health.
NOPREN is a forum to learn, share, and conduct policy research that is relevant to both practitioners and policymakers AND responsive to communities in need.
CAPT Heidi Blanck, PhD, MS
Branch Chief, Chronic Disease Nutrition/Obesity
DNPAO, CDC
NOPREN members work collaboratively via multidisciplinary work groups that address priority areas such as:
- COVID-19 Food and Nutrition
- Drinking Water
- Early Childhood
- Food Policy Councils
- Food Security
- Food Service Guidelines
- Healthy Food Retail
- Rural Food Access
- School Wellness
- WIC Research Learning Collaborative
These work groups allow smaller groups of engaged individuals the opportunity to collaborate on time-sensitive, policy-relevant applied research, develop tools and resources, and share cutting-edge research and evaluation findings. Work groups aim to grow the professional capacity of their members, build evidence, and support the translation of research to practice.
NOPREN’s network approach maximizes the speed and effectiveness of policy impact by facilitating strategic collaborations and coordinating across sectors and areas of expertise. Our members engage community partners and state/local public health practitioners in policy-related research and evaluation. Collaboration strengthens our capacity to measure and evaluate policies, coordinate across different geographic regions, and disseminate to important audiences, including other practitioners, state and local health departments, federal/state/local policymakers, and advocates.
NOPREN is funded by the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity and is a thematic research network of the Prevention Research Centers. This structure allows NOPREN to serve as a conduit between researchers, practitioners, and federal nutrition agencies in order to advance the science and inform policies that impact communities.
(NOPREN is supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 6U48DP006374 SIP19-010 from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
