This Scientist Grew Up Overweight Now He’s Preventing Childhood Obesity

Scientist Roger Figueroa grew up overweight in Puerto Rico which, in part, drove him to spend years developing a multi-faceted approach to helping low income communities affected by obesity and food insecurity in New York State and Puerto Rico.

Figueroa, now an Assistant Professor Cornell University says his work aims to address food insecurity, which is a lack of both quantity and quality of foods, for example, looking at the factors which lead to food access and diet quality.

“Working with the Puerto Rican population is of high priority for me, as a member of this community, and an incredible opportunity to make a difference to promote the wellbeing of Puerto Ricans (both on the island and diaspora),” he said, adding that

Figueroa says his work is “problem-oriented” rather than restricted to one discipline, which means that he is…