Erika AnnaGraduate Studentshe/her/hers

I focus on nutrition security, a concept that complements food access by considering whether diets are nutritious, culturally relevant, and consistently available. These factors shape both immediate well-being and long-term risk for nutrition-related chronic disease. When rooted in lived experience, nutrition security reflects the perspectives of communities, helping to illuminate inequities and shape solutions aligning with community priorities. Guided by a community-based participatory research framework, I am interested in using mixed methods to develop measures that assess diet quality, guide culturally-relevant food provisioning, and improve health outcomes.

At the center of my research is the ecology of nutrition: the interplay of biological needs, cultural practices, and structural conditions shaping health outcomes. My work is informed by more than a decade of experience in public health, primary care, and higher education, and is grounded in my training as a registered dietitian nutritionist. I focus especially on perinatal and child health, foodways, and how we can translate evidence into practice through implementation science.

Before joining the School of Human Ecology, I taught courses in nutritional sciences on the biological impacts of malnutrition and the provision of culturally-responsive food and nutrition care. These experiences shaped my clinical and community practice and continue to inform my scholarship. Currently, I am an outreach specialist in the Office of Community Health (Department of Family Medicine and Community Health), where I support Food is Medicine strategies and help strengthen community-clinical linkages by enhancing community health worker capacity.

Across my scholarly and professional roles, I work to build sustained, community-led partnerships that advance equity and improve health outcomes in Wisconsin and beyond.

Selected Publications

Anna, E., Barraza L., Bise A., & Kinsey W. (2024). Developing a Clinically Validated Screening Tool to Assess Food and Nutrition Security Among Wisconsin’s Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers [Abstract]. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 124(10), A11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2024.06.016

Anna, E., Babatunde, T., Caster, C., Rivera, A., Wall-Bassett, E., & Waters, J. (2024). Integrating Cultural Awareness, Humility, and Respect in Communication. In J. A. Beto, & B. B. Holli (Eds.), Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Practical Guide, Eighth Edition (pp. 53). Jones-Bartlett Learning. https://www.jblearning.com/catalog/productdetails/9781284238532

Certifications

• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, March 2015

Awards and Recognition

• Honored Instructor, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2023
• Commission on Dietetic Registration Doctoral Scholarship, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2023
• CALS Equity and Diversity Award, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2022
• Academic Advising Excellence Award, Wisconsin Association for Academic Advising, 2019
• Frances E. Fischer Memorial Scholarship, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation, 2019

See Also

• Selected presentations
  • Anna, E. (2025) Supporting Food and Nutrition Security among Agricultural Workers in Wisconsin: A Transdisciplinary and Ecological Approach [Podium]. Institute of Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) Research Day, Madison, Wisconsin.
  • Anna, E., Bublitz, M., Bise, A. Minden, M., Barazza, L., & Kinsey, W. (2025) Developing a Clinically Validated Screening Tool to Support Food and Nutrition Security Among Agricultural Workers in Wisconsin [Poster]. Institute of Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) Research Day, Madison, Wisconsin.
  • Bublitz, M., & Anna, E. (2025). Advancing Societal Impact: New Paradigms and Measurement Strategies in Transformative Consumer and Marketing & Public Policy Research. Special Session: Enhancing Food and Nutrition Security Measures Among Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers in Wisconsin [Podium]. American Marketing Association (AMA) Marketing & Public Policy Conference, Washington, DC.
  • Anna, E., Bublitz, M., Bise, A. Garcia, A., Barazza, L., & Kinsey, W. (2024) Developing a Clinically Validated Screening Tool to Assess Food and Nutrition Security Among Wisconsin’s Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers [Poster]. Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Anna, E., & Kinsey, B. (2023). Expanding Food Security and Nutrition Services for Migrant/Seasonal Agricultural Workers [Podium]. National Conference on Agricultural Worker Health, Seattle, Washington.
  • Anna, E., & Narvaez, N. (2023). Integrating Nutrition and Dietetics into Migrant Mobile Health Services [Podium]. Toward One Wisconsin Conference, Appleton, Wisconsin.
• Traineeships
  • Advancing Diversity and Equity in Pre-doctoral Trainees (ADEPT) Scholar, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2023–2025
    • Traineeship supports and provides resources and mentorship opportunities for doctoral students whose fields of study focus on authentic and action-driven research to improve human health
  • Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Leadership Academy, “Building Skills of Wisconsin Dietetic Professionals to Meet Evolving Needs of Nutrition-Insecure Clients” (12-month project), Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, 2023–2024
• Scientific appointment
  • National Health Disparities Committee, American Diabetes Association, 2021–2023