News

A summary of the Tay Gavin Erickson Lectures from Spring semester 2026

The Center for Research on Families continues its partnership with the Amherst Survival Center, supporting two recent drives of toys and cold weather items and period products for those in need. 

Introducing our new FRS Cohort for 2026 - 2027

The Center for Research on Families (CRF) highlights the work of Director Dr. Lorraine Cordeiro as part of a new UMass–Tufts collaboration advancing a Food is Medicine initiative on Massachusetts’ North Shore. Led by Dr. Dutka-Gianelli and Dr. Hollis-Hansen, the project will pilot a model through a Gloucester food pantry, providing culturally relevant, healthy meal kits featuring local seafood and produce. Building on community-driven efforts like Fish to Plate and the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, the interdisciplinary team aims to strengthen local fisheries and farms, expand access

University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty and students are part of three federally funded community partnerships in Western Massachusetts aimed at alleviating food insecurity and encouraging healthy eating by expanding access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The partnerships are funded by three, three-year $500,000 grants from the USDA’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), which nationally has invested $59.4 million through GusNIP’s nutrition incentive and produce prescription programs.

Produce prescription (PRx) programs are a medical treatment or preventive service for

Testing Mosquitoes Age Can Reduce Vector-Borne Diseases

Amanda Paluch, assistant professor of kinesiology and current Family Research Scholar, is the lead author of a newly issued update to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association regarding resistance exercise training and cardiovascular disease. The statement appeared online in December ahead of print in the Jan. 16 issue of the journal Circulation.