Lauren Au, Ph.D., R.D.

Lauren Au photo

Associate Professor
Associate Nutritionist in AES

3215 Meyer Hall
Education
  • PhD, Food Policy & Applied Nutrition, Tufts University
  • RD,  Registered Dietitian, Columbia University
  • MS,  Nutrition and Public Health, Columbia University
  • BS,  Nutritional Sciences, Dietetics, University of California, Berkeley
Research Interests

Dr. Au's research is at the intersection of innovative dietary assessment, nutrition policy, and obesity prevention for low-income and racially diverse populations. Her work focuses on harnessing artificial intelligence to improve dietary assessment technology and examining how cross-utilization of safety net programs impacts nutrition security and health. She has a wealth of experience with evaluating nutrition policy changes in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the National School Lunch Program. 

Selected Publications

1. Chaney AM, Anderson CE, Arnold CD, Whaley SE, Ritchie LD, Pundi GR, Nguyen CJ, Au LE. Evaluating the association of the increase in the WIC cash value benefit on the diversity of MyPlate fruits and vegetables redeemed and consumed by children in low-income households. Current Developments of Nutrition, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.103778

2. Tsai MM, Anderson CE, Whaley SE, Yepez CE, Ritchie LD, Au LE. Associations of increased WIC benefits for fruits and vegetables with food security and satisfaction by race and ethnicity. Preventing Chronic Disease, 2024; 21:230288, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.230288

3. Zuercher MD, Harvey DJ, Au LE, Shadyab AH, Santiago-Torres M, Liu S, Bao W, Shivappa N, Hebert J, Robbins J, Garcia L. Energy-Adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index and diabetes risk in postmenopausal Hispanic women. Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2023.08.002

4. Au LE, Arnold CD, Ritchie LD, Lin SK, Frongillo EA. Differences in Infant Diet Quality Index by race and ethnicity predict differences in later diet quality. Journal of Nutrition, 2023; 153(12): 3498-3505. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.10.010

5. Whaley SE, Anderson CE, Tsai MM, Yepez CE, Ritchie LD, Au LE. Increased WIC benefits for fruits and vegetables increases food security and satisfaction among California households with young children. Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2023; 123(10): 1440-1448. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2023.05.018

6. Anderson CE, Au LE, Yepez CE, Ritchie LD, Tsai MM, Whaley SE. Increased WIC Cash Value Benefit is associated with greater amount and diversity of redeemed fruits and vegetables among participating households. Current Developments in Nutrition, 2023; 7(9):101986. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.101986

7. Au LE, Arnold CD, Ritchie LD, Frongillo EA. The Infant Diet Quality Index predicts dietary and adiposity outcomes in U.S. children 2-4 years old. Journal of Nutrition, 2023; 153(3):741-748. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.01.037 

8. Au LE, Whaley SE, Hecht CA, Tsai MM, Anderson CE, Chaney AM, Vital N, Martinez CE, Ritchie LD. California WIC participants’ and local agency directors’ experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A qualitative examination. Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2022; 122(12): 2218-2227. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.07.003 

9. Tsai M, Frongillo EA, Ritchie LD, Woodward-Lopez G, Au LE. Factor analysis reduced complex measures of nutrition environments in U.S. elementary and middle schools into cohesive dimensions in the Healthy Communities Study. Journal of Nutrition, 2021; 151(5): 1286-1293. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa450

10. Au LE, Ritchie LD, Tsai M, Randel-Schreiber HR, Martinez C, Gradziel PH, Sabatier SM, Whaley SE. Alignment of California WIC participant preferences with proposed WIC food package recommendations. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2021; 53(1):60-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2020.09.014

11. Au LE, Ritchie LD, Gurzo K, Nhan LA, Woodward-Lopez G, Kao J, Guenther PM, Tsai M, Gosliner W. Post-Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act adherence to select school nutrition standards by region and poverty level: The Healthy Communities Study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2020; 52(3):249-258. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2019.10.016 

12. Au LE, Zhu SM, Nhan LA, Plank KR, Frongillo EA, Laraia BA, Gurzo K, Ritchie LD. Household food insecurity is positively associated with higher adiposity among U.S. schoolchildren ages 10-15 years: The Healthy Communities Study. Journal of Nutrition, 2019; 149(9):1642-1650. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz108

More publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1hG0jDhBydRkD/bibliography/public/