Kennae Rawlings, MPH

Bio

Kennae serves as the Nutrition Access Community Liaison for the CDC High Obesity Prevention Project. In this role Kennae is leading the efforts to assess barriers and facilitators to implement healthy food guidelines within rural food pantries. This community-engaged work will help dimensionalize the challenges and support needed to influence the uptake of nutrition policies within the charitable food system. In addition to her role with the CDC project, Kennae is pursuing a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education and Human Sciences.

Her research reflects a deep commitment to community engagement, focusing on the intersections of food insecurity, increasing access to healthy foods, health promotion, empowering under-resourced families through education, and assessing health outcomes. Kennae remains actively involved in her community by dedicating her time to nonprofit organizations, including interfaith food pantries and food hubs. Most importantly, in her free time, Kennae enjoys outdoor activities with her son.

Programs and Initiatives

• CDC High Obesity Program

Contributing Websites

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennae-rawlings-mph-297339252/

Selected Publications

• Sarah Gonzalez-Nahm, Arnab Maity, Yukun Liu, Kennae Rawlings, Adriana C Vidal, Cathrine Hoyo. (2024). Maternal Periconceptional Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Pattern and Child Body Mass Index Between Ages 3–10 Years by Sex, Age, and Race. Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 8, Supplement 2, 2024,103145, ISSN 2475-2991. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299124010795

Area(s) of Expertise

• Food Security and Accessibility
• Health Behavior Change
• Policy Systems and Environmental Change
• Community Nutrition Education