Speaker Spotlight - Dr. Chimene Castor

Uniting Agriculture and Health Care to Support Food as Medicine for All

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Dear Community,

It is our honor to continue our Speaker Spotlight Series for the 2026 Food as Medicine for All Livestream Conference by featuring Dr. Chimene Castor, a distinguished nutrition scientist, educator, and global health leader. Through her work in food as medicine, health equity, and sustainable food systems, Dr. Castor brings a unique global perspective to one of today's most pressing public health challenges. Her upcoming presentation explores how strengthening food systems and embracing culturally centered approaches can help restore food's role as a powerful tool for health and healing.

When Food Fails to Heal: Food-System Determinants in Applying an African-Caribbean Centered Integrative Model to Reclaim Food as Medicine in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya

Food is increasingly recognized as both medicine and a foundational determinant of health. However, when food is unsafe, inaccessible, inadequately produced, consumed or situated within inequitable systems, it may contribute to disease rather than promote healing. In low- and middle-income countries, structural food insecurity, weak policy environments, limited nutrition literacy, and fragile food systems render food a driver of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

Speaker Spotlight: Chimene Castor, Ph.D., EdD, RDN, LDN, CHES, FAND

Dr. Chimene Castor is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Howard University. She earned her Ph.D. in Nutrition from Howard University and both an Ed.D. and M.A. in Health Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. With over 20 years of experience as a clinical dietitian and global health leader, her current research focuses on Food as Medicine, linking nutrition, health literacy, and sustainable food systems to the prevention and management of chronic diseases. She is also the co-author of Complete Nutrition: I Don't Want Any More Salad: Caribbean and African Vegan and Vegetarian Holiday Cuisines and owns Complete Nutrition Therapy and Counseling, LLC, in addition to the Julio Rameaux Farm. Read More

Thank you for following our Speaker Spotlight Series as we count down to our livestream event. Dr. Castor's session offers valuable insights for healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, policymakers, and community leaders committed to advancing nutrition and health equity worldwide.

We hope you will join us for this important conversation and discover how reimagining food systems can help create healthier, more resilient communities for all.

With Gratitude,

The Food as Medicine Global Team

Community Supported Network

Our Community Supported Network (CSN) package is inspired by the principles of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), this model invites members to make an upfront investment in a shared vision, strengthening the infrastructure, relationships, and learning community that sustain our work throughout the year.

The 2026 package includes:

One-Year Full Membership ($60)
Early Bird registration to our Annual Conference, November 14–15, 2026 ($150)
Access to the 2026 Integrating Fields Symposium Live Events and Recordings ($60)

By participating, you are investing in a resilient, community-rooted network committed to advancing equitable food systems all year long.

CSN Package $165

Sponsorship Registration

We invite aligned organizations and businesses to join us in supporting a global, eco-friendly event that brings together leaders and changemakers working at the intersections of food, health, community, social justice, and planetary well-being.

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Our Why

The idea of food as medicine resonates with many in health care and food production. Nutrition is increasingly integrated into health professional training, patient care, and discussions around farming, fishing, ranching, and other food systems. However, people across many communities who want to eat well cannot access healthy or even enough food. Many of those producing and providing our food and health care navigate a multitude of inequities.

Join us in supporting a more equitable and inclusive food as medicine movement!

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