Athena Rae Roesler is a director on the Public Health team at Milken Institute Health, where she leads a portfolio of work focused on prevention and chronic disease.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the importance of the food system: all the activities, resources, and relationships that go into producing, distributing, and consuming food. Images of emptying grocery shelves filled the news as the pandemic began and many people experienced food insecurity for the first time. However, many of the health and economic disparities illuminated by the pandemic are systemic public health issues that were already critical pre-pandemic. During the initial stages of the COVID-19 response, nonprofits, private industry, and policy makers were met with the challenge of protecting the supply chain, supporting the restaurant industry's changing landscape, and addressing food access during isolation, among other challenges.
Using the Inventory’s data, the Hungry for Action report is intended to set the stage for further impact analysis. The Inventory tracked 223 retailers, restaurants, “other industry” (i.e., manufacturers and distributors), and nonprofit organizations’ responses and 69 policies from March 20 - July 15, 2020 and was compiled from publicly available information.
The learnings from the Inventory underscore how the power of partnerships—both new and established—benefited the response effort. We recommend that food system stakeholders looking to craft effective partnerships consider the following recommendations for a more nourishing, sustainable, and equitable food future:
Food and nutrition insecurity is a health issue far too big to ignore. Diet-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the US for adults. When people and communities lack access to affordable, healthy food, we see the impact in our...
With chronic diseases on the rise and millions struggling with food insecurity, access to fresh, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables has become more critical than ever. The "Food is Health" movement is reshaping how we think about health...
From the COVID-19 pandemic to geopolitical conflicts, and catastrophic steering failures on cargo ships, as reported by NPR and The New York Times, the world has seen how a weak link in a supply chain can have far-reaching consequences for...
This brief summarizes the key trends, ideas, and solutions discussed at the Milken Institute Global Conference 2024 to increase access to innovation and improve health outcomes.
The 26th annual Milken Institute Global Conference convened the best minds in the world to tackle its most urgent challenges and realize its most exciting opportunities. Throughout the four-day event, our health teams curated nearly three...
In September 2024, the Milken Institute released Insights on Investments in Food Systems Transformation: Pathways to COP30, which explored the state of food systems investing, the risks and benefits, and the challenges and opportunities.
The Milken Institute’s 28th annual Global Conference opens today and runs through May 7, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Under the theme Toward a Flourishing Future, the conference will gather 1,000 speakers and 5,000 attendees...
Chad Clinton is the director of media relations for the Milken Institute. Hired to this role in August 2021, Clinton develops and executes strategies to amplify the Institute’s core messages by generating coverage of its pillar workstreams, experts, and events.
Employers seek to support their employees while normalizing a whole-person approach to substance use disorders (SUD). The response to addiction and the opioid crisis requires a whole-of-society approach, including employers of all sizes...
WASHINGTON, DC (November 6, 2023) — Opening today, the 2023 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit gathers hundreds of speakers and attendees who are inspired to share ideas and advance work around this year’s theme: “Closing the Gap...
Chad Clinton is the director of media relations for the Milken Institute. Hired to this role in August 2021, Clinton develops and executes strategies to amplify the Institute’s core messages by generating coverage of its pillar workstreams, experts, and events.