Darcy Freedman

M.P.H., Emory University, 2002

Research Area

Community-based participatory health research
Public Health and Social Justice
Women's and Gender Studies
Mixed Methods Research

Short Biography

Darcy Freedman is currently a doctoral student in the Community Research and Action Program. Darcy 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.

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.

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