Community Nutrition and Health

About Community Nutrition and Health

Community Nutrition and Health at UCANR is a statewide network of researchers and educators promoting holistic health and equitable communities for all Californians.

Our Shared Goal

Our shared goal is to co-create community-driven educational and capacity building programming to advance community health across California via statewide programs, special projects, and local advisor-driven work.

Core Community Nutrition and Health Programs

CalFresh Healthy Living, UC

The CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California program (CalFresh Healthy Living, UC) partners in communities to educate, build capacity, and serve as a catalyst for healthier living. By aligning community education with policy, systems and environmental change strategies, CFHL, UC creates long lasting community impact. See the Calfresh website to learn more about their work.

EFNEP

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provides community education classes for income eligible youth and adults to promotes nutrition and physical activity as a means of maintaining a healthy lifestyle free of chronic disease. By focusing on increasing diet quality, physical activity, and strengthening food resource management, EFNEP supports families with children to make meaningful healthy lifestyle changes. See the EFNEP website to learn more about their work.

Partnerships with Healthcare

Creating healthier communities for all involves bringing together trusted partners and working across sectors. University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources (UCANR) connects UC research with local communities to improve the lives of all Californians, including in the area of health and wellness. UC San Francisco (UCSF) is the only UC campus exclusively dedicated to graduate and professional health education. In 2022, we launched a partnership that combines UCANR’s public health expertise with UCSF’s healthcare expertise, forming a model for cross-sector approaches to advance health across California by combining scientific evidence with community connectedness.

This work puts into practice strategies from Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being, including providing professional development with Extension employees and building partnerships with academic medical centers.  We have also identified shared priority issues and goals to improve the health of California communities, including chronic health conditions, mental health, health equity among seniors, infant nutrition, and Medicaid access.   

In 2025, we launched a Community Advisory Committee comprised of program partners and participants who inform our current and future work.

Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE)

The EXCITE program in California launched in 2025 with the purpose of delivering community-based education with Extension professionals and community members to normalize annual COVID and flu vaccines for adults as a best practice for health and wellness. EXCITE is part of a national program. See the EXCITE website to learn more about this work.

Partners in the Community

We partner with organizations and community leaders who share our goals to advance community health and work at many levels to create change, including:

• Individual behavior change
• Leadership capacity building
• Organizational policy change
• Informing public policy
• Affecting systems or environmental change such work flows or best practices within an organization.

As a result of this work, all Californians will have access to live a healthy life, free from chronic disease.

Contact list:

Community Nutrition and Health advisors, specialists, and academic coordinators.