Darcy Freedman

Making Connections

Darcy Freedman enrolled at Peabody after working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She became interested in community health while she was a middle school teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As a teacher, Darcy witnessed the dynamic relationship between personal, interpersonal, and collective factors on adolescent health and well-being.

"I sensed that Peabody made connections between individuals and their environment in a way that other programs didn't," says Darcy. Thriving in what she terms Peabody's atmosphere of "autonomy and support," Darcy explored community needs she felt were not being met.

Increasingly, Darcy's work is focused on including the people most affected by health concerns in the research process. She conducted a photovoice project with parents of preschoolers to inform a nutrition intervention and coordinated a colloquium series at Vanderbilt University focused on teaching and conducting participatory action research.

During the 2005-2006 academic year, Darcy initiated an action research project with residents in several areas of Nashville characterized as "food deserts," areas lacking access to outlets selling fresh fruits and vegetables. This neighborhood-based produce stand project lead to her current role as the Director of the Middle Tennessee Food Security Cooperation (MTFSC), a regional initiative that aims to unite all agencies and individuals involved in food systems' work, from farm to fork.

Darcy's participatory research efforts within the field of food security are helping her theorize public health as a social justice enterprise. She hopes to secure an academic position after graduation that will combine her interest in teaching with community-based research.

Darcy Freedman

• Ph.D., Community Reseach and Action, 2009
• Undergraduate Institution: B.A., Miami University (Ohio), M.P.P.; Emory University
• Hometown: Bloomington, IL
• Career Goal: Faculty position in community-based research
• Favorite Thing to Do in Nashville: Hiking in Percy Warner Park