Doctoral Student in the Departments of Nutrition and Social & Behavioral Sciences
Laura Zatz is a doctoral student in the departments of Nutrition and Social & Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research focuses on applying behavioral sciences to develop policies that promote healthy eating. For example, she recently completed a project assessing the impact of point-of-sale calorie labels and warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverage sales. Laura is currently partnering with a grocery store chain to evaluate the impact of the Cook County (IL) sweetened beverage tax.
Laura has cross-sector experience designing, implementing, and evaluating programs and policies to address obesity, food insecurity, food waste, and chronic disease management. At USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, Laura oversaw contracts and grants evaluating federal nutrition programs like the National School Lunch Program. At the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), Laura worked for former Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to promote healthy eating and active living policies. Before BPC, Laura worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where she specialized in qualitative and quantitative research for healthcare and non-profit clients.
Laura completed her M.P.H. in Health Policy and Administration and her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Political Science at Yale. She is a Section Councilor for the American Public Health Association’s Food and Nutrition Section and the former co-chair of Harvard’s Behavioral Insights Student Group.
