EI Collaborator Dr. Daniel Chen Links Food Access to Systemic Barriers

On June 18 at the Good Food for All Summit 2025, a powerful panel discussion explored that question head-on, featuring national scholars and advocates exploring the intersection between access to healthy food and the social determinants of health.

We were especially proud to see Dr. Kuan-Lung Daniel Chen, Associate Director of Research at the Center for Community Resilience and Assistant Research Professor in Global Health at The George Washington University- Milken Institute School of Public Health, contribute to this important conversation. A co-author of the Closing the Wealth Gap Stakeholder Report and frequent GW Equity Institute collaborator, Dr. Chen emphasized how structural and place-based barriers, far beyond just food prices, affect access to healthy food.

Key takeaways from the session included:

• Access to healthy food is deeply shaped by social determinants of health (SDOH)—from transportation and safety to housing and income.
• These determinants rarely act in isolation; multiple barriers often intersect and compound.
• Cost is a major barrier, but not the only one. The built environment (like unpaved roads or steep hills) and interactions with law enforcement can influence where people feel safe or able to shop for nutritious, affordable food.
• Real-world examples helped illustrate how place, policy, and power shape access, and why equity efforts must go beyond affordability alone.

Dr. Chen joined a panel of national scholars and advocates, including: 
▸Dr. Kate Bauer, University of Michigan School of Public Health
▸Dr. Marlene Schwartz, University of Connecticut & UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health
▸Dr. Angela Odoms-Young, Cornell University
▸Moderator: Mimi Yeh, ParsonsTKO

Hosted by Partnership for a Healthier America and the Global Food Institute at the George Washington University, the hashtag#GoodFoodSummit25 brought together leaders from public health, retail, philanthropy, government, and community-based organizations to advance a healthier, more just food system.

Read a recap of the event by GW Today here.