Nathalie Celestin, MPH, CHES, is a Ph.D. student in Community Nutrition working with Dr. Angela Odoms-Young at Cornell University. Her research interests center on the social and structural determinants of nutrition equity, with a focus on belonging and food access. Prior to joining Dr. Odoms-Young’s lab, she served as the SNAP-Ed Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Public Health and as the Food and Nutrition Security Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In these roles, she contributed to state and national initiatives related to SNAP-Ed, the charitable food system, and Food is Medicine. Drawing on these experiences, she brings applied public health and community nutrition expertise to her academic work. Her practice-based perspective informs her commitment to community-engaged research that translates evidence into practice to foster healthy, equitable, sustainable and resilient communities. She holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Dietetics and Consumer Foods, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Georgia.

Moore, C. J., Celestin, N., Cox, G. O., Williams, T. N., & Mullis, R. M. (2022). Incorporating paraprofessional educators’ perspectives into the curriculum revision process for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 40(1), 13–26. Cotwright, C. J., Hall, J., Arrington, N. M., Celestin, N., Sanders, H., Ragan, T., & Birch, L. (2020). Serving their needs: A qualitative examination of nutrition policy implementation in the early care and education setting. Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association, 8(1), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.20429/jgpha.2020.080110 Cotwright, C. J., Bradley, H., Celestin, N., Lee, J. S., Hall, J., Stotz, S., & Birch, L. (2020). Determining eLearning preferences to inform beverage policy training for Georgia child-care providers. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 52(7), 732–741. Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2020.02.020 Cotwright, C. J., Bradley, H., Celestin, N., Love, K., & Birch, L. (2018). Policy and practice in ECE: A statewide examination of beverage policy implementation among child-care programs in Georgia. Childhood Obesity, 15(3), 185–193. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2018.00101 Cotwright, C. J., Bales, D. W., Lee, J., Celestin, N., Parrott, K., & Olubajo, B. Like peas and carrots: Combining wellness policy implementation with classroom education for obesity prevention in the child-care setting. Public Health Reports, 132. (2017).(Suppl 1), 74S–80S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354917706956

M.P.H., Health Promotion, University of Georgia
B.S., Family and Consumer Sciences - Dietetics, Consumer Foods, University of Georgia