Epidemiologist Rafael Pérez-Escamilla addresses Brazilian Senate on food security

Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, professor of epidemiology, addressed the Brazilian Senate on Dec. 8 on the topic of “Food Insecurity, Human Development, and Planetary Health.”

Pérez-Escamilla’s talk highlighted the central role that food security will play in the ability of countries to meet the 2015-30 Sustainable Development Goals and how important it will be to continue investing in equitable social, economic, and health policies that can effectively address the social injustices driving the global food insecurity pandemic and its negative consequences on human and ultimately planetary health. During his address he summarized his two decades of household food security research in Brazil and beyond.

The Yale professor’s address was part of the “Congress of the Future” convened by the Senate to identify the key priorities to advance democracy in Brazil in the next 20 years. Other topics addressed at the conference were climate change, innovative education models, and information technology.

View a video of Pérez-Escamilla’s talk here.