Christine C. Caruso

Applies the Social–Ecological Model to caregiving, with a focus on youth and young adult caregivers, to highlight how caregiving is shaped by social relationships and structural factors. Argues that caregiving should be viewed as an interdependent process involving entire care units, not just individuals.

Argues that storytelling is a powerful tool for translating research into action, emphasizing that stories can offer valuable context often missing from traditional channels for sharing research findings, like academic articles and policy briefs.

Investigates social interactions between students and school foodservice staff in six US school districts. Findings highlight the various forms of care experienced by students and staff. However, structural constraints limit opportunities for staff and students to interact and demonstrate care, suggesting potential opportunities for interventions to enhance the role of the cafeteria in contributing to students’ socialemotional well-being.

Examines how values-based food purchasing—focused on sustainability, health, or local sourcing—affects front-line workers in the U.S. National School Lunch Program. Finds that these initiatives often increase workers' responsibilities without adequate planning or support. Concludes with recommendations for better supporting food service workers when implementing such procurement changes.

This study explores students' perspectives on the school cafeteria environment beyond just nutrition, focusing on how the space affects their well-being. Group interviews with students highlight a variety of stressors present in the cafeteria setting, including crowding, volume, and frequent adverse social interactions.

Explores the impacts of values-based purchasing initiatives on the daily experiences and responsibilities of front-line workers in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), describing the everyday experiences of school foodservice workers and documenting how they respond to integration of healthy and local purchases in their activities.

Investigates highly successful meal program operations in six school districts to understand the practical details of bringing healthier and more regional foods into the cafeteria. Findings offer a nuanced understanding of the strategies at play to ensure all students can not only access healthy foods but also enjoy eating them, and at the same time ensure the well-being of the school district community.

Discusses the limits of public-private partnerships in addressing the economic barriers shaping food access and contends that the weaknesses are rooted in the politics of the neoliberal state. Proposes that state-run grocery stores, drawing on models like military commissaries and state-run alcohol stores, could more effectively address food access by offering a stronger, more equitable public alternative.

Explores the links between food systems, access, and food practices among low-income residents living in the Queensbridge micro-neighborhood located within the larger neighborhood of Long Island City, NYC. Findings focus on participants’ perceptions and experience of the food environment in this community utilizing a food justice framework to interrogate the forms of race and class based differences that undergird residents’ food practices.

Highlights the growth and impact of the Participatory Budgeting (PB) process in New York City, providing key findings on PB Cycle 4.