Dr. Shreela Sharma is Professor & Vice Chair of Epidemiology and Director, Center for Healthy Communities at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, TX. Dr. Sharma is a behavioral epidemiologist with specific interest in food insecurity, nutritional epidemiology, health equity, health disparities, and diet-related chronic diseases in children, families and vulnerable populations and has a robust, federally-funded research program in this area.

Dr. Sharma is committed to serving the community; on behalf of UTHealth, Dr. Sharma co-leading the Coalition for Connected Care, a collective impact systems effort focused on mitigating food insecurity and other social determinants of health among Greater Houston residents.

Dr. Sharma is also co-founder of Brighter Bites, a nationwide non-profit dedicated to providing fresh produce and nutrition education to low-income children and their families. Finally, Dr. Sharma is committed to students and building a strong public health workforce; she is a Distinguished Teaching Professor, a honorific title bestowed by The University of Texas System to faculty for their teaching excellence and commitment to the enhancement of health science education.