Ricardo Kairios
Family & Community Health Sciences Educator III (Eqv. to Asst. Professor)
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
1440 Parkside Ave.
Ewing, NJ 08638-2921
Phone: 609-989-6830
Email: ricardo.kairios@rutgers.edu
Expertise: Enhancing food security and improving access to safe and nutritious food in resource-limited communities through systematic, policy-driven, and site-specific initiatives. These efforts are designed to promote healthy behaviors and optimize food practices, fostering an equitable and sustainable food system. Using an intersectional approach to address barriers faced by marginalized communities, with a particular emphasis on advancing health equity and liberation for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals.
Ricardo Kairios (he/him/his) joined the Department of Family and Community Health Sciences July of 2023 as a tenure-track faculty member part of the Community Food Systems working group. Ricardo holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science from Montclair State University and a Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences from Rutgers University. He also completed an Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway Dietetic Internship at Rutgers University.
Ricardo’s research focuses on enhancing food security and improving access to safe and nutritious food in resource-limited communities. He leads and supports systematic, policy-driven, and site-based initiatives aimed at promoting healthy behaviors and optimizing food practices to foster equitable and sustainable food systems. Ricardo employs an intersectional approach to address barriers faced by marginalized communities, with a particular focus on health equity and liberation for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. He is committed to enhancing policies and organizational leadership to promote inclusivity and belonging in community engagement and academia.
Current Research Initiatives and Interests:
Food Security and Social Belonging in Sexual and Gender Minority Groups
Initiatives employing a mixed methods approach to identify barriers faced by sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQIA2S+) that adversely affect food security, health, and professional advancement. The focus is on developing policies, structural interventions, and interpersonal strategies to mitigate health disparities and enhance inclusivity for sexual and gender minorities, incorporating an intersectional framework.
Rutgers Food Systems Leadership
Interactive series for adolescents and emerging professionals, employing a mixed-methods evaluation framework, designed to develop skills in advocating for an equitable and resilient food system. This program focuses on advancing healthy dietary practices and provides insights into food system careers and opportunities for academic and professional skill development.
Train-the-Trainer: Workshops for Community-Based Organizations and Health Professionals
Advanced training for community service providers, educators, and related professionals on using evidence-based research, guidelines, and educational strategies to promote healthy behaviors and equitable communities. Focus areas encompass food security, food resource management, dietary quality, food safety, inclusive practices, and implicit bias.