Alisha Coleman-Jensen

Alisha Coleman-Jensen

Deputy Director for Data Development
alisha.coleman-jensen@usda.gov

Google Scholar profile

Briefly

Alisha Coleman-Jensen is the Deputy Director for Data Development in the Food Economics Division.

Background

Alisha joined USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) in 2009 and became Deputy Director for Data Development in 2023. Alisha previously served as the team leader for U.S. food security research and data at ERS. Her work has focused on researching the measurement and correlates of food insecurity as well as activities related to the development of food security data. Her publications include USDA’s annual Household Food Security in the United States report, ERS research reports, and published journal articles on food security. Before joining ERS, her research as a graduate student at Penn State broadly encompassed the well-being of rural families. She also served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer in Tompkins County, NY, where she helped to coordinate services to rural food pantries.

Education

Alisha holds a Ph.D. in rural sociology and demography from The Pennsylvania State University, an M.S. in rural sociology from The Pennsylvania State University, and a B.S. in human development from Cornell University.

Selected Publications

Seligman, H. K., Levi, R., Adebiyi, V. O., Coleman-Jensen, A., Guthrie, J. F., & Frongillo E. A. (2023). Assessing and monitoring nutrition security to promote healthy dietary intake and outcomes in the United States,” Annual Review of Nutrition, 43, 1.

Sassine, A. J., Rabbitt, M. P., Coleman-Jensen, A., Moshfegh, A. J., & Sahyoun, N. R. (2023). Development and validation of a physical food security tool for older adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 153(4), 1273–1282.

Sonik, R. A., Alisha Coleman-Jensen, A., Timothy B. Creedon, T. B., & Yang, X. (2023). SNAP participation and emergency department use. Pediatrics, 151(2), e2022058247.

Henly, M., Brucker, D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2022). Food insecurity among those with disability: Cross-survey comparison of estimates and implications for future research. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy.

Sonik, R., Coleman-Jensen, A., & Susan Parish, S. (2020). “Household food insufficiency, health status and emergency healthcare utilization among children with and without special health care needs. Public Health Nutrition, 23(17), 3204–3210.

Coleman-Jensen, A. (2020). U.S. food insecurity and population trends with a focus on adults with disabilities. Physiology & Behavior, 220: 112865.

Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2019). food insecurity, acculturation, and diagnosis of coronary heart disease and related health outcomes among immigrant adults in the United States. Public Health Nutrition, 23(3), 416–431.

Frongillo Jr., E. A., Nguyen, H. T., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2019). Food insecurity is more strongly associated with poor subjective well-being in more-developed countries than in less-developed countries. Journal of Nutrition, 149, 330–335.

Rabbitt, M. P., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Rasch analysis of the standardized Spanish translation of the U.S. Household Food Security Survey module. Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, 42(2), 171–197.

Brucker, D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Food insecurity across the adult lifespan for persons with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 28(2), 109–118.

Frongillo, Jr, E. A., Nguyen, H. T., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Food insecurity is associated with subjective well-being among individuals from 138 countries in the 2014 Gallup World poll. Journal of Nutrition, 147(4), 680–687.

Smith, M. D., Rabbitt, M. P., & Coleman- Jensen, A. (2017). Who are the world’s food Insecure? New evidence from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s food insecurity experience scale. World Development, 93, 402–412.

Afulani, P., Herman, D., Coleman-Jensen, A., & Harrison, G. (2015). “Food insecurity and health outcomes among older adults: The role of cost-related medication underuse. Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, 34(3), 319–342.

Herman, D., Afulani, P., Coleman-Jensen, A., & Harrison, G. (2015). “Food insecurity and cost-related medication underuse among nonelderly adults in a nationally representative sample. American Journal of Public Health, 105(10), e48–e59.

Fitzpatrick, K., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2014). “Food on the fringe: Food security and the use of fringe banks. Social Service Review, 88(4), 553–593.

Nord, M., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2014). Improving food security classification of households with children. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 9(3), 318–333.

Gregory, C. A., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2013). Do high food prices increase food insecurity in the United States? Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 35(4), 679–707.

Coleman-Jensen, A. J. (2011) Working for peanuts: Nonstandard work and food insecurity across household structure. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32(1), 84–97.

Nord, M., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2010). Food insecurity after leaving SNAP. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 5(4), 434–453.