Jamie B. Bussel
Program Officer
Jamie Bussel, M.P.H., is a program officer working in the area of childhood obesity. She designs and manages efforts that support environments and policies that promote the health of children and families. She seeks to develop innovative strategies to improve access to healthy foods and to create opportunities for safe physical activity—especially for children most vulnerable to obesity and its related harms.
Having joined the Foundation 2002, Bussel directs initiatives that foster multidisciplinary partnerships and systems-level change strategies to transform the health of people and places. “Creating healthy communities inevitably involves systems change, not just developing another project,” says Bussel. It is in this spirit that she leads one of the foundations largest community-action initiatives, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, which addresses the root causes of childhood obesity through integrated changes in policies, practices, social supports and the physical environment.
Drawn to the Foundation by its commitment to improving the health of people and communities, Bussel is an ardent supporter of the “active living” movement. She believes strongly in the impact of our physical and social environments on health. As she puts it: “Communities that are designed to promote routine physical activity, provide accessible, healthy food options, help people adopt healthier lifestyles, prevent disease and improve their quality of life.” She hopes that her work will help communities identify new methods for creating great places by drawing on the collective wisdom of those who live, learn, work and play there.
Previously, Bussel held research positions at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health (UMDNJ-SPH), the University of Pennsylvania, and at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
She received an M.P.H. in behavioral sciences/health education from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health and a B.A. in English literature from the University of Michigan.
A New Jersey native, Bussel lives in Basking Ridge with her husband and daughter. An advocate for active living and an avid runner, she is committed to a healthier future for our children.