Dr. Denise Diaz Payán, Ph.D., M.P.P., is an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Program in the Department of Health, Society, and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. She is the principal investigator of the Community Health & Innovative Policy (CHIP) Lab and is affiliated with the state-wide research translation center California Initiative for Health Equity & Action (Cal-IHEA). She serves on the editorial boards for Health Education & Behavior and the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Dr. Payán is a health policy researcher whose interests include examining health policymaking and implementation; evaluating interventions to address obesity and nutrition-related health disparities; and understanding how policy impacts health behavior. She also conducts state and local policy surveillance research. Dr. Payán has collaborated on process and impact evaluations and contributed to community-engaged research studies implemented in a variety of settings, including schools, faith-based organizations, safety net clinics, and academic medical centers. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), UC Office of the President Research Grants Program Office, and the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute. 

Research interests: health policy; obesity; nutrition; food security; state policy; advocacy coalitions; evaluation; implementation; global health

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