Dr Shreela Sharma is Professor of Epidemiology 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, and diet-related chronic diseases in children, vulnerable, underserved populations and has a robust, federally funded research program in this area. More recently, Dr. Sharma is leading several COVID-19 related projects including a Texas state-wide COVID-19 Symptom Tracking initiative, analysis of COVID-19 data for the Texas Medical Center, Harris County, and Texas Department of State Health Services; providing recommendations for public health decision-making, and assessing the impact of COVID-19 on employment, food security, financial stability, and other social needs among vulnerable populations in Texas. Dr. Sharma is committed to serving the community; on behalf of UTHealth, Dr. Sharma is co-leading the Greater Houston Coalition on Social Determinants of Health, a Harris-county wide effort focused on mitigating food insecurity and other social determinants of health among its 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.