Researcher Spotlights are Q&As that shine a light on School of Human Ecology faculty members’ unique scholarship and research interests.
Melissa Bublitz is the Liz Kramer Professor of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Consumer Science department chair, and a professor of Civil Society & Community Studies and Consumer Science. She studies the intersection of consumer behavior, public policy and well-being, investigating topics such as food access, health and wellness, sustainability, nonprofit marketing and social innovation.
As a member of the Transformative Consumer Research community, Bublitz often leads teams of researchers who collaborate with community partners to study efforts to create positive societal impact and grassroots social change. She works to leverage science to empower consumers and organizations to make choices that advance the well-being of individuals and the communities in which they work and live.
How did you become interested in your area of study?
I come from a family where food was my mother’s — and my grandmother’s, and my aunt’s — love language. We didn’t have a lot but my mother was a creative cook. We all worked in our summer garden, we canned and froze foods for winter. Whenever there was a family in need, we brought them a meal — it was just something small we could offer. I have tried to keep some of these traditions alive in my family. We volunteer as a family at local food pantry initiatives. One day after volunteering, my son asked me why a family he recognized from school would need to come to get food at the pantry instead of the grocery store. I didn’t have a good answer but this question continues to motivate me to investigate the problem of food access in our society.
What’s your motivation for doing this type of work, and how does it impact human well-being?
I really enjoy being out in the field, meeting people. I appreciate when I get to hear directly from people who are affected by a problem like hunger and food access within a community, as well as people in organizations working to address food and nutrition security in their own community. Their passion and tenacity for local problem solving always inspires me. They are often creative, doing a lot of work with very few resources. In my work, I try to make their stories and successes — as well as the serious challenges they face — come to light. I think it’s really important for people to hear about the amazing work that local communities are doing to fill the meal gap.
What’s something you wish was more widely known by the average person?
Rather than teaching people something I wish more people would get actively involved in a problem they care about in their own community. Sharing facts has limited ability to change hearts and minds. However, I think volunteering at an organization can really be an eye-opening experience. When you see and meet people and learn the complexity of their stories, I think you start to realize that often the narratives about why problems persist in the media or in public conversation are oversimplified. I wish we could all just connect with another human being to see problems from a different point of view.
What has surprised you about working in your field?
It is an admirable goal to end the problem of hunger. However, I’ve learned that what we often mean when we say we want to “end hunger” is this: When people experience a situation that puts their ability to access food at risk, we need systems in place to move them out of an emergency situation to have more stable access to nutritious food. We might always have to deal with the problem of hunger, but we can build a better system to connect people to resources in their community and to state and national resources to address their nutrition needs.
What do you see as the most critical question currently facing your field?
I think the COVID-19 pandemic taught us that it’s not enough to provide food. We need to provide affordable access to healthy food — the foods that help people and families thrive, that preserve cultural and family traditions and that fit different health needs. People need access to food in ways that preserve their dignity. During the pandemic, increased financial support for food (SNAP/FoodShare in Wisconsin) reduced demand at food pantries and food banks — that money went directly into local grocery stores. When the additional pandemic support for food ended and food inflation rose dramatically, demand at local food pantries went back to — and in some cases surpassed — pre-pandemic levels. In our current environment, I’m worried that more families facing hunger will not have the resources they need to feed their family a healthy meal.
Who are some individuals who have influenced your work?
I am so inspired by the people of the School of Human Ecology who work in so many different areas, using many different research methods, to advance well-being. When I read about the innovative and transformative work people here are doing, it makes me proud to be part of this community of scholars.
What else should the Human Ecology community know about you?
I’m so excited to be working in a place that values community-based research that prioritizes well-being.
