Sarah Amin

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Nutrition
  • Phone: 401.874.4024
  • Email: sarah_amin@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Kingston, RI - Fogarty Hall, Rm 117B
  • Website

Lab

Community Nutrition Security Research Group

Courses Taught

  • NUT 394: Nutrition in the Lifecycle I
  • NUT 458: Nutrition Education
  • NUT 506: Community Nutrition

Biography

Dr. Sarah Amin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Rhode Island. Her research advances nutrition security through community-engaged and implementation science approaches. Dr. Amin examines the implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of evidence-based nutrition programs and policies across school, community, and clinical settings, with a focus on strengthening nutrition education, healthy food access, and the systems that support nutrition security.

From 2018–2026, Dr. Amin provided statewide leadership for URI’s SNAP-Ed and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Her research examines how federal nutrition programs and community-based nutrition initiatives are implemented, evaluated, and sustained to advance community nutrition security.

Dr. Amin leads a statewide partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Education examining implementation practices within the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), including how nutrition education is integrated with fruit and vegetable snacks to support children’s fruit and vegetable consumption.

At URI, Dr. Amin teaches community-engaged nutrition courses that connect students with Rhode Island partners to address contemporary nutrition and public health challenges.

Research

Dr. Amin’s research focuses on advancing nutrition security among school-age children and families through the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based nutrition programs and policies. Using community-engaged and implementation science approaches, her work examines how nutrition interventions can be effectively implemented, adapted, and sustained within the settings and systems that serve children and families.

Her research centers on federal nutrition education programs and school nutrition, with particular emphasis on nutrition education, healthy food access, and policy, systems, and environmental approaches. Her team studies program reach and effectiveness, factors influencing implementation and sustainability, and the cross-sector partnerships and systems needed to translate evidence into practice and support lasting nutrition-related behavior change.

Dr. Amin collaborates with state agencies, schools, Cooperative Extension, and community-based organizations across Rhode Island and New England. Grounded in URI’s land-grant mission, her research seeks to bridge research and practice by generating actionable evidence that informs programs, policy, and systems-level approaches to improving nutrition security.

Education

  • Postdoctoral Scholar, Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
  • Ph.D., Nutrition and Food Science, University of Vermont
  • M.P.H., Brown University
  • B.A., Biology, Wheaton College

Current Graduate Students

  • Maruth Emilcar, MS
  • Maria Meola, MS

Former Graduate Students

  • Nick Hamdi, PhD, RDN (2024)
  • Jackie Potvin, PhD, RDN (2024)
  • Luisa Santos, MS (2024)
  • Maria Meola, MS (2024)
  • Fatima Tobar, MHA (RIC, 2023)

Selected Publications

Hamdi N, Samson M, Balestracci K, Tovar A, Corcoran C, Watts DJ, Tobar F, Potvin J, Amin S. Multi-prong formative evaluation of a pediatric clinical-community food assistance and education intervention. Am J Health Promot. 2024 Nov 19:8901171241301886. doi: 10.1177/08901171241301886.

Potvin J, Chappell K, Balestracci K, Greene G, Sweetman S, Amin S. A Formative Evaluation of a STEAM and Nutrition Education Summer Program for Low-Income Youth. Evaluation and Program Planning. 2023; 97:102255. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102255

Donahue B, Amin S, Barley L, Richardson S. New England Feeding New England: Volume 1: Estimating Resilient Eating Patterns, 2023. https://nefoodsystemplanners.org/wp-content/uploads/NEFNE_Volume-1_Estimating-Resilient-Eating-Patterns.pdf

Amin S, Hafner S, McNamara J, Raymond J, Balestracci K, Missimer A, Potvin J, Greene G. Development and validation of the ASKFV-SE tool for requesting fruits and vegetables. Journal of Nutritional Science. 2023; 2(12). doi: 10.1017/jns.2022.59

Bouchard K, Grigsby-Toussaint D, Fox K, Amin S, Vadiveloo M, Greaney M, Tovar A. Maternal experiences with discussing complementary feeding in primary care. Patient Education and Counseling, Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(19):12061. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912061

Sacheck JM, Wright CM, Amin SA, Anzman-Frasca V, Chui K, Duquesnay P, Nelson ME, Economos CD. The FLEX Study: effects of a two-year randomized controlled trial of school-based activity programs on children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2021; 60(6): 239-249. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.02.002

Lyerly R, Rummo P, Amin S, Evans W, Cohen ED, Lawson E, Hallett E, De’Oliveria S, Rose J, Coats C, Nunn A. Effectiveness of mobile produce markets in increasing access and affordability of fruits and vegetables among low-income seniors; Public Health Nutrition. 2020; 1-10. doi: 10.1017/S1368980020002931

Amin SA, Lehnerd M, Cash S, Economos CD, Sacheck JM. The reliability and validity of a youth food literacy tool. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2019; 51(3): 364-369. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2018.12.006

Sacheck JM, Amin SA. Cardiorespiratory fitness in children and youth—a call for surveillance, but how do we do it? Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. 2018; 46(2).  doi: 10.1249/JES.0000000000000145

Amin SA, Panzarella C, Lehnerd M, Cash S, Economos CD, Sacheck JM. Identifying food literacy educational opportunities for youth. Health Education & Behavior. 2018; 1-8.  https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198118775485

Amin SA, Duquesnay PJ, Wright CM, Chui K, Economos CD, Sacheck JM. Perceived athletic competence and physical activity: implications for low-income schoolchildren. Pediatric Exercise Science. 2018; 20: 1-8. doi: 10.1123/pes.2017-0242

Amin SA, Lehnerd M, Cash S, Economos CD, Sacheck J. A case study of a nutrition cohort: the development of a funder-initiated learning collaborative. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2018; 8(2): 1-15. doi: 10.5304/jafscd.2018.082.009

Amin SA, Wright CM, Chui K, Economos CD, Chomitz V, Boulos R, Sacheck J. The association between the physical activity environment and academic success in Massachusetts schoolchildren. Journal of School Health. 2017; 87(12): 932-40.  doi: 10.1111/josh.12569