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Biography
Dr. Ronit Ridberg is a community nutrition scholar whose work centers on Food is Medicine (FIM) programs and policies that advance food security, nutrition security and health equity. She is a research assistant professor at the Food is Medicine Institute, the leading global academic center advancing FIM to improve health and reduce disparities.
Highly collaborative, her 20+ peer reviewed FIM publications include a 2025 Nature Food commentary calling for a global research agenda connecting FIM, mental health, and resilient food systems; and the first national survey of public perceptions of FIM, published in the 2025 special issue of Health Affairs devoted to Food, Nutrition and Health. She has provided strategic guidance on FIM to The Rockefeller Foundation, the U.S. Veterans Health Administration, the World Economic Forum, and to nonprofit and clinical implementers.
Dr. Ridberg’s academic background spans anthropology, nutrition, agricultural policy, nursing science and healthcare leadership. Her prior research and policy advocacy focused on the scaling of regional food systems’ distribution infrastructure through institutional purchasing policies (e.g. in schools, hospitals, state agencies and prisons) as well as business development for regional food hubs.
