Childhood Obesity Prevention
Health Equity
Family Food Purchasing
Food Access and Availability
Racially and Ethnically Targeted Food Marketing
School Nutritional Policy
Infant feeding behaviors
Breastfeeding
Katie DiSantis, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
Associate Director, Institute for Smart & Healthy Cities
Contact Information
Associate Professor
Associate Director, Institute for Smart & Healthy Cities
Research & Practice Interests
Education
PhD, Temple University
MPH, Temple University
BS, Pennsylvania State University
Recent Publications
- The impact of nutritional status on surgical site infection rates among total joint arthroplasty patients: A systematic review
- Barriers to Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screenings Faced by Refugees Resettled in the United States: A Rapid Review
- The relationship between changes in neighborhood physical environment and changes in physical activity among children: a prospective cohort study
- Food Environments Within and Outside of Schools Play a Critical Role in Curtailing the Rise in Obesity among School-Aged Children over Time
- Assessing Increases in Cannabis-Related Diagnoses in US Hospitals by Regional Policy Status
Teaching
Health Research Methods
Society, Behavior, and Environment
Capstone ILE
Biography
Dr. Katie Isselmann DiSantis is a public health educator and researcher and an Associate Professor in the College of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. DiSantis holds a PhD in Public Health and MPH in Community Health Education from Temple University, and a BS in Biobehavioral Health from Penn State University. Her major research interests focus on analyzing the social, behavioral, and neighborhood factors that impact healthy food access and the prevention and management of cardiometabolic diseases. She also performs interdisciplinary research on place-based health issues. She has published this work in top public health, medical, and nutrition journals. Dr. DiSantis has served as lead investigator or co-Investigator on numerous funded projects. She serves as an Associate Director of the Institute for Smart and Healthy Cities and co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair Smart and Healthy Learning Cities, which fosters interdisciplinary research aimed at leveraging smart planning and technology applications in projects and research that enhance the health of urban populations.
Dr. DiSantis teaches in the MPH program with the College of Population Health, leading courses in Research Methods and Social and Behavioral Health. She also teaches nutritional health and public health lessons in Sidney Kimmel Medical College and the College of Health Professions. She has mentored over 100 thesis projects for Master of Public Health Students. Dr. DiSantis was awarded the 2019 Lindback Award for Excellence in Teaching, the 2023 Provost Award for Interdisciplinary Research, the 2023 Outstanding Teaching award from the College of Population Health, the 2025 Outstanding Mentoring award from the College of Population Health, and the 2026 Provost Award for Applied Research.