About

Pamela Ann Koch is an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also serves as the Faculty Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy. Her scholarly interests include curriculum development, evaluation, and teacher professional development, with a focus on K–12 nutrition education, healthy school meals, school gardens, and wellness policy. She is engaged in research related to sustainable food systems, agro-ecological food production, farm-to-school initiatives, food safety, child nutrition, food security, and nutrition education policy. Koch's educational background includes a B.S. in Home Economics, Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Rutgers University, an M.S. in Applied Nutrition from Rutgers University, an M.Ed. in Community Nutrition from Teachers College, and an Ed.D. in Nutrition Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist. Her work emphasizes promoting healthy eating behaviors, sustainable food practices, and food policy development, with a particular focus on school-based interventions and community health. She has contributed extensively to the field through research, publications, and resource development aimed at improving nutrition education and food systems.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Pedagogy
• Social Science
• Medicine
• Gerontology
• Social psychology
• Public relations
• Environmental health
• Endocrinology
• Geography
• Applied psychology
• Nursing
• Psychology
• Medical education

Selected publications

• School Garden and Nutrition Education Associated with Increased Consumption of School Meals in Pilot Study

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2026-02-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Healthy Prenatal Diet Associated with Lower Risk of Excessive Gestational Weight Gain in a Predominantly Latina Sample: Data

  Columbia Academic Commons (Columbia University) · 2026-05-20

  datasetOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating a Community-Based Intervention to Advance Food Equity and Climate Resilience in the South Bronx: Findings from the LEAF Program

  Sustainability · 2026-01-12

  articleOpen access

  Access to ecologically grown, nutritious food remains limited in low-income U.S. communities due to cost, structural inequities, and the dominance of industrial food systems. Stone Barns Center’s Leading an Ecological and Accessible Food System (LEAF) program—developed through a community-based participatory partnership in the South Bronx—aims to address these challenges through biweekly distributions of regeneratively grown produce, seasonal gardening kits, and culturally responsive nutrition education. This study presents findings from the first two years (2023 and 2024) of a multi-timepoint repeated cross-sectional evaluation using six household-level surveys (n = 79–80 families per round). The surveys captured changes in fruit and vegetable consumption, gardening comfort, emotional well-being, participation in SNAP and WIC programs, food purchasing behaviors, and unmet needs. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvements were observed across key outcomes: mean fruit and vegetable intake increased from 3.8 to 4.5 (1–5 scale), comfort with growing food increased from 3.1 to 4.6, emotional response to gardening from 4.1 to 4.6. SNAP participation increased from 15% (12 of 79 households) to 33% (26 of 79 households), and purchasing shifted toward local access points. Notably, 99% (79 of 80 households) of Year 1 families returned for Year 2, reflecting strong engagement and trust. These results highlight the potential of integrated, community-partnered, and climate-aligned interventions to advance health equity, ecological literacy, and food justice. The LEAF program offers a replicable model that may support pathways towards more sustainable and community-aligned food systems in other under-resourced settings.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Referee report. For: Determinants of nutrition knowledge among student migrants in West Midlands, United Kingdom [version 1; peer review: 1 not approved]

  Faculty of 1000 Research Ltd · 2025-01-01

  peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Chronic Disease Management of Early Childhood Dental Caries: Practices of US Pediatric Dentists

  Preventing Chronic Disease · 2025-01-02 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Early childhood caries (ECC), dental cavities in children younger than 6 years, is common, consequential, and inequitably concentrated among socially disadvantaged children. The World Health Organization and authoritative clinical and public health agencies promote 4 chronic disease management (CDM) approaches that are low-cost and can be delivered in home and community sites: pharmacologic, behavioral, monitoring, and minimally invasive dentistry (MID). The extent of adoption of these approaches among US pediatric dentists is unknown. Methods: From November 2021 through July 2023, trained research staff members administered and videorecorded via Zoom a semistructured survey on ECC management to 1,639 clinically active pediatric dentists in the US, including 170 thought leaders (organizational and academic leaders). Data collected included treatment approaches, time allocated to counseling, and personal, practice, and patient population characteristics. Results: The survey response rate was 27.7%. Among CDM approaches, 88.7% cited pharmacologic approaches, 43.4% behavioral, 41.1% monitoring, and 39.3% MID approaches. MID was significantly associated with thought leaders and with more recent graduates engaged as associates in larger practices or in safety-net settings serving high volumes of low-income children and children with a history of caries. We noted fewer significant associations between other CDM approaches and the characteristics of dentists, practices, and populations served. CDM was not associated with the race or ethnicity of dentists or patients, the numbers of ancillary personnel in practice, or dental management organizations. One-third (32.4%) of respondents reported scheduling 5 or fewer minutes for counseling on caries. Conclusion: Except for pharmacologic treatments and despite professional guidelines, CDM approaches are underused. We posit that CDM approaches hold strong promise to enhance oral health equity as value-based care arrangements expand in dentistry.

  PublisherDOI

• Associations Between the Food Environment and Food Insecurity on Fruit, Vegetable, and Nutrient Intake, and Body Mass Index, Among Urban-Dwelling Latina Breast Cancer Survivors Participating in the ¡Mi Vida Saludable! Trial

  Nutrients · 2025-12-17

  articleOpen access

  Background: Socioeconomic disparities may drive cancer inequities in Hispanic/Latino populations. We examined associations of perceived access to healthy foods (AHF) and food insecurity (FI) with diet and body mass index (BMI) changes in Latina breast cancer (BC) survivors. Methods: Latina BC survivors in a 12-month intervention trial aiming to increase fruit/vegetable intake and physical activity were analyzed. AHF was from a modified, validated neighborhood environment scale and dichotomized (low–medium vs. high). FI was defined as eating less and/or going hungry due to a lack of money. AHF and FI surveys were self-reported. Outcomes included dietary intake, diet quality, and BMI. Fruit/vegetable intake was log-transformed. Relationships between AHF and FI and changes in diet and BMI were evaluated using generalized estimating equations. Results: Of women with AHF data (n = 86), 58% reported low–medium access and 42% reported high access. Fruit/vegetable (FV) intake declined overall from baseline to 12 months, with greater reductions among low–medium AHF women (−32%, 95% CI: −51%, −7%) compared with high AHF women (−17%, 95% CI: −40%, +13%). Statistically significant 12-month decreases in total calories, carbohydrates, sugars, and fat occurred in low–medium AHF women but not high AHF women, and changes in total energy density, carbohydrates, sugars, and BMI at 12 months were statistically significantly different between women with low–medium AHF and women with high AHF, p ≤ 0.05. Among 157 women, 23% reported FI. Reductions in fruit/vegetable intake were larger in women with FI (−39%, 95% CI: −57%, −14%) than in women without FI (−10% reductions, 95% CI: −25%, +8%) and between-group differences were significant at both 6 and 12 months, p ≤ 0.05. Most diet measures decreased for both FI and non-FI women, with greater decreases among those with FI. Conclusions: Latina BC survivors with FI or perceived limited AHF experienced greater declines in indicators of healthy diets including FV intake. Future interventions should integrate strategies to measure AHF and FI to address disparate access to healthy food options.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Carbon Footprint of School Lunch: Moving Toward a Healthy and Sustainable Future for the Next Generation

  Sustainability · 2025-03-27 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  This study aimed to quantify the carbon footprint of elementary school lunch menus across six major urban school districts in the United States and to simulate the effect of sustainable food policies on carbon emissions reductions while ensuring nutritional requirements remain adequate. We analyzed a total of twenty distinct meals per district selected from a four-week period and calculated their carbon emissions using life cycle assessment data. We then modeled three scenarios to reduce carbon emissions: (1) a reduction in beef meal offerings to one day per month, (2) an introduction of one entirely plant-based day per week, and (3) a combination of scenarios 1 and 2. Our findings revealed that beef-containing meals had the highest carbon emissions, while plant-based meals had the lowest. Implementing the one monthly beef meal scenario led to an average savings of 34% in emissions, while the plant-based day scenario led to a 32% reduction in emissions. Combining both policies resulted in an average reduction of 43% in emissions. Importantly, our nutritional analysis demonstrated that implementing these sustainable food policies resulted in meals with statistically similar macronutrient and micronutrient profiles and contributed to increased dietary fiber intake. These results highlight the potential environmental and health benefits of adopting sustainable nutrition policies in elementary schools.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Remote communications for caries prevention counseling among Pediatric Dentists in the United States

  Digital Dentistry Journal · 2025-11-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The objective of this study was to estimate pediatric dentists’ practices regarding provision of video/telephone outreach for early childhood caries (ECC) prevention counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess interest in expanding remote communications. Between November 2021 and July 2023, 1639 of 5925 active members of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry were interviewed and recorded (by zoom) about practices and perspectives regarding ECC. Respondents were compared by gender, type of practice, population served, and beliefs in relation to providing video/telephone outreach for ECC prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic and interest in expanding such outreach. Most (80.3%) did not provide remote communications for ECC prevention counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who did were more likely to be males than females (22.8% vs 17.9%), in safety net (versus private) organizations (29.3% vs 18.4%). Almost half (44.8%) expressed interest in expanding remote communications for ECC prevention, with those practicing in public (versus privately) owned settings being more likely to express interest (68.7% vs 53.3%). Pediatric dentists can help reduce oral health disparities in young children but only if greater numbers implement prevention counseling to reduce exposure and susceptibility.

  PublisherDOI

• Understanding Public Opinions to Support, Enhance, and Expand Food, Nutrition and Climate Education in K-12 Schools

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-08-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Refining a School-Based Food and Nutrition Education Program Assessment Tool Through a Formative Evaluation

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-08-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Isobel R. Contento

  Columbia University

  156 shared

• Heewon L. Gray

  University of South Florida

  60 shared

• Randi L. Wolf

  Columbia University

  34 shared

• Laura A. Guerra

  31 shared

• Osman Güldemir

  26 shared

• Nazan Aktaş

  Selçuk University

  26 shared

• Mary Katherine Swartz

  University of Alabama at Birmingham

  25 shared

• Laura Raaen

  Columbia University

  25 shared

Education

• B.S., Home Economics, Human Nutrition and Dietetics

  Cook College, Rutgers University

  1988

• M.S., Applied Nutrition

  Rutgers University

  1992

• Other, Community Nutrition

  Teachers College

  1998

• Other, Nutrition Education

  Teachers College, Columbia University

  2000