Jennifer L. Harris, PhD, MBA

Senior Research Advisor, Marketing Initiatives

Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Research Overview

I am responsible for the Rudd Center’s research initiatives to understand the extent and impact of children’s exposure to food advertising and communicate that information to the health community, parents and policymakers. The project is currently funded through a three-year $5.2 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. My research focuses on marketing and public health, with an emphasis on unconscious effects of food marketing on behaviors, attitudes and motivation in children and youth. I have conducted extensive research to quantify the amount and types of food marketing seen by young people and its impact on their health and diets. I also have written on the psychological and behavioral effects of marketing to children and teens and the need to reduce unhealthy food marketing through public policy and advocacy. As an InCHIP affiliate, I plan to continue conducting research on both the extent and impact of food marketing to youth and to identify opportunities for environmental interventions to improve young people’s diets and reduce obesity.

Education

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; BA with honors in Political Science; 1980
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; MBA in Marketing; 1984
Yale University, New Haven, CT; MS in Psychology; 2005
Yale University, New Haven, CT; PhD in Social Psychology; 2008

Recent/Selected Publications

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