Summer interns in the Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) engage in action-based learning to gain a deeper understanding of the complex challenges facing our current food system. The summer internship provides hands-on experience conducting legal and policy research for individuals, community groups, and government agencies on a wide range of food law and policy issues. Interns are also challenged to develop creative legal and policy solutions to pressing food issues, applying their knowledge from the classroom to real-world situations.
This summer FLPC welcomes Denae Romero, Nick Blumenthal, and Josephine Dudzik.
Prior to joining the clinic, Denae Romero completed her first year at UCLA School of Law. At UCLA Denae participated in the Bruin Food Access Pro Bono Project, assisting UCLA students navigate the CalFresh Benefits program.
Denae’s interest in food law and policy began in a Political Science course she took that highlighted the political and legal issues in the world’s food systems. She used this course as a springboard for her senior thesis where she presented her research on food insecurity and democracy in developing nations.
Denae hopes to use her legal education to advocate for policies that tackle the current systemic issues of food and nutrition insecurity and work towards preventing such challenges in the future.
Nick Blumenthal represents national food security on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Youth Advisory Council. He has been invited to address the United Nations Committee on World Food Security, was the youngest delegate invited to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, and has advised agricultural development projects across Africa, Europe, and Asia.
He has presented his work on agricultural economics and nutritional biochemistry at institutions within the U.S. and worldwide. Nick represents North America on several international youth agricultural advocacy campaigns and has been invited to speak at numerous global multilateral forums. Additionally, he serves on the Council of Advisors to the World Food Prize, the Nobel Prize of Agriculture.
He completed his B.S. in Nutritional Sciences and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Florida and will complete his M.S. in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University and M.B.A. at Stanford University. Nick is recognized as a Schwarzman and Fulbright Scholar.
Josephine Dudzik is a fourth-year PhD candidate in nutrition and dietetics at New York University, researching the role of nutrition in improving long-term health outcomes for survivors of critical illness.
Her overarching career goal is to bridge the gap between nutrition research and translation into effective public policy to improve population-level health through equitable access to nutritious food. Josephine has served as a fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is a member of several committees centered on advancing nutrition-related policy, advocacy, and scientific integrity.
Josephine is also a practicing registered dietitian and is passionate about reducing chronic disease risk through patient-centered, evidence-informed care. She graduated with her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Penn State University and her M.S. in Clinical Nutrition from Rutgers University.
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