(UB)
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo (UB)
School of Public Health and Health Professions
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior
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Lucia A. Leone

PhD

Lucia A. leone.

Lucia A. Leone

PhD

Lucia A. Leone

PhD

Associate Professor
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior
School of Public Health and Health Professions

Research Topics

Environmental, community, organizational and behavioral interventions to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and encourage appropriate cancer screening; health disparities; food access and local food systems; obesity and cancer prevention.

Overview News

UB News

  • Lucia Leone on Closing the Food Gap
    3/3/26
    Public health researcher Lucia Leone understands food insecurity—she grew up with it. Now she’s leading interventions to bring healthy, affordable food to everyone, no matter their income or ZIP code. In the next episode, she talks about projects that are making a difference, from mobile produce markets to food prescriptions.
  • Podcast: Closing the Food Gap
    3/24/26

    From SNAP and WIC to food pantries and mobile markets, there are a host of federal, state and local programs designed to put food on people’s tables. Yet millions are still nutrition insecure. In this episode of Driven to Discover, public health researcher Lucia Leone explains what’s missing from these programs—and how we can do better in the battle against hunger. 

  • UB researcher works to close the food gap
    3/13/26

    Leone has been on a quest to develop programs that help people get the most out of the food they receive, whether that be from a mobile produce market, a food pantry or a food prescription program.

  • UB again ranks among nation’s best in measure of global health, climate action and sustainability research
    6/23/25

    THE ranked 2,526 universities from 130 countries or territories based on their progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  • Eat Local WNY initiative aims to create a bounty of benefits for consumers and food producers
    8/27/24

    Core of the UB-led project is a food pledge that encourages shoppers to purchase at least 10% of their food from local farmers and producers.

  • UB team receives funding to demonstrate effectiveness of ‘food-is-medicine’ in health care
    4/16/24

    American Heart Association-funded project will assess the successes and challenges of three different food prescription programs in WNY adults over 65.

  • More than a market, UB Veggie Van is a ‘living lab’
    9/27/23

    On-campus mobile market is designed to test  innovations developed through the Veggie Van Study, while giving students the opportunity to learn through a related food entrepreneurship course.

  • Media Advisory: UB to host in-person Mobile Market Summit March 29-30
    3/22/22

    This is the fourth year for the summit, which brings together mobile produce market operators, researchers and funders from around the country.

  • UB to host nation’s first-ever mobile produce market summit
    1/24/19

    The two-day conference will invite representatives from mobile produce markets across the U.S. to Buffalo to network, attend training sessions and share their successes and failures.

  • UB to host second annual mobile produce market summit
    3/3/20

    Conference is set for March 24-25 and builds off the success of last year’s event, the nation’s first-ever gathering of mobile produce market representatives.

  • USDA awards Veggie Van study $750,000 to expand resources for mobile market operators
    1/31/22

    Funding will support a Mobile market Coalition, Mobile Market Summit, training center expansion and the creation of regional mobile market networks.

  • UB researchers look to improve the WIC shopping experience
    6/1/21

    Study is among the first to examine both barriers to and possible strategies for WIC shopping. Researchers have also partnered with Tops Markets on a pilot project to test out “bundling” of WIC items.

  • WNY-based study aims to connect the dots on food access
    9/18/20

    UB researchers surveyed local families and stakeholders to find the best strategies for addressing disparities in healthy food consumption.

  • New toolkit offers mobile produce markets a roadmap for success
    4/24/20

    Template was developed by UB, UNC Chapel Hill researchers using evidence-based strategies from Veggie Van model.

  • New UB institute to address health disparities in Buffalo
    12/12/19

    Community Health Equity Research Institute brings together community partners and faculty, students from 10 UB schools to improve health of underserved neighborhoods.

  • UB awarded federal funding to expand research team’s successful Veggie Van program
    4/5/18

    National Cancer Institute funding will allow Lucia Leone and her team to expand their work by helping organizations across the Northeast and Southeast start mobile markets using the Veggie Van model.

In the News