Areas of Expertise

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis

• Public health programs

• Epidemiology

Food Story

Mason grew up as a competitive figure skater and saw how food and nutrition can be used to control people’s appearance under the guise of health. For better or worse, this drove her to an undergraduate education in nutrition where she learned how important, and yet how incredibly ordinary, food is on its own. Mason became much more interested in the things that give food meaning, like culture, history, traditions, storytelling, and more. This really took hold when a family friend, the local Chabad rabbi’s wife, gifted her a book of traditional Jewish bread recipes from around the world complete with personal stories from the participants. Mason began making challah every week and trying to learn about and revitalize the food traditions of her family. Today, her nutrition focus has shifted from an interest in “clean diets” and weight control to an interest in traditional foodways and food justice.

Academic History and Achievements

M.S., Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Tufts University School of Medicine, 2023

M.P.H., Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tufts University School of Medicine, 2023 

B.A., magna cum laude, Nutrition and Dietetics, Minors: Psychology and Chemistry, Simmons University, 2019