Dr. Sara Elnakib is an Educator/Assistant Professor of the Department of Family & Community Health Sciences at Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Research Associate for the New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative (NJHKI). Her research focuses on the use of policy, systems, and environmental approaches to promote child health equity and environmental stewardship, primarily in school and community settings. Sara has received research
funding from the EPA, USDA, NJDEP and Horizon Foundation to research the intersection of nutrition literacy, environmental education, and healthy eating. Her dissertation focused on food waste in the school setting and how behavioral economics can be leveraged to reduce food waste. She completed her doctoral degree in Social and Behavioral Health Science at Rutgers School of Public Health. Sara is also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), has a Master’s of Public Health degree in Health Education and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and completed her undergraduate degree in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University.
Recent publications:
Shukaitis, J., Elnakib, S., Cuite, C. “Yumbox: A Tool to Improve the Quality of Preschoolers’ Packed Lunches”. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 53(8), 719-723. August 2021.
Elnakib, S., Downs, S., Quick, V., Wackowski, O., Mendez, M., Robson, M. “Food Waste in Schools: A Before and After Study Examining the Impact of an Intervention to Reduce Food Waste in Randomized Schools.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health’s special issue on Green Environment: Effluent Reuse and Waste Recycling, 2021, 18(12), 6389.
Mendez, M., Elnakib, S. “BODEGAS SALUDABLES Lessons Learned from a Healthy Corner Store Educational Initiative.” Journal of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, 2018; 13(1), 59-71.
