Hannah R. Thompson began her role as the new director of the Nutrition Policy Institute beginning September 1, 2025. Thompson has served as NPI’s senior epidemiologist since 2020 while also working as an assistant research professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. She earned her master’s of public health degree in Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley and her doctoral degree in Epidemiology and Translational Science from UC San Francisco. Thompson's research focuses on improving cardiometabolic health at the intersection of science, community, and policy. Her focus is on youth-facing policies like mandated physical education, recess, and nutritious meals in public schools, as well as federal programmatic approaches like WIC, CACFP, and SNAP-Ed, that have tremendous potential for both short- and long-term health impact. Thompson will build on the legacy of NPI’s founding director Lorrene Ritchie, who retired on July 1. We are also grateful for NPI’s Wendi Gosliner serving as interim director while Thompson transitioned into her new role.