Abrania D Marrero
Abrania D Marrero
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Clinical Assistant Professor of Global and Environmental Health
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Professional overview
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Abrania Marrero is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the NYU School of Global Public Health. Her research investigates human and global environmental changes in small island food systems, including the impacts of political economic shifts and climatic shocks on nutrition and cardiometabolic disease. Dr. Marrero is a former consultant for the Environmental Defense Fund and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment and, in her training, has served as an Agent of Change in Environmental Justice in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University as well as a bench scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. She obtained a PhD in Population Health Sciences and an SM in Biostatistics from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a BS in Psychology and BSPH in Public Health, Minor in Chemistry from Tulane University.
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Education
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BS, Psychology, Tulane UniversityBSPH, Public Health, Chemistry Minor, Tulane UniversitySM, Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthPhD, Population Health Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
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Publications
Publications
Overlooked toll of climate change on migrant children in the Americas
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Pintea, S., Acevedo, A., Horenziak, J., Kurani, A., Kohli, K., Wang, S., Richardson, E. T., Introcaso, D., & Marrero, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2026Journal title
Nature Climate ChangeVolume
16Issue
2Page(s)
109-111AbstractClimate change drives displacement and migration across the Americas, particularly exposing Latin American and Caribbean children to compounded health risks. We explore these health impacts, identify gaps in related US healthcare and health policy, and propose recommendations for how they can respond.Ecological functional diversity predicts nutritional functional diversity in complex agroforests
AbstractMarrero, A. D., McGuigan, A., Novotny, R., Tikonavuli, V., Vuli, U., Marrero, A., & Ticktin, T. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Global Food SecurityAbstract~Posture, proximity, and positionality: the power of community engaged service-learning in public health leadership education
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Chu, J. C., & Marrero, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Frontiers in Public HealthVolume
13Page(s)
1605757AbstractPublic health leadership is a call to action, drawing us nearer to the individuals and communities burdened by health disparities and social injustice. Reimagining public health leadership to center health equity entails collective and community engaged applied practice, premised on humility, shared power, and life-long learning. Public health education has a unique imperative to offer experiential, transformative opportunities for students to learn and practice more adaptive approaches to public health action.Equity as a priority in EAT-Lancet-aligned food system transformations
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Marrero, A., Nicoson, C., Kelahan, H., Mendoza, K., Salvia, M., Golden, C., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Nature FoodVolume
5Issue
10Page(s)
811-817AbstractFood systems drive human and environmental change, reflect diverse cultural and ecological contexts, and, in their diversity, can bolster nutrition and planetary health. Ignoring structural inequities in food system transformations risks offsetting potential gains. We summarize current evidence on the context-dependent implications of EAT-Lancet goals and propose six priority areas to guide equitable food system transformations, targeting food and nutrition security, just sustainability and cultural diversity. Priority areas-namely, diverse and nutritious food access, food industry regulation, climate-resilient food production, localized, small-scale food systems, cultural diversity and social well-being-can be achieved through public, private and civil society action.Food laborers as stewards of island biocultural diversity: reclaiming local knowledge, food sovereignty, and decolonization
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Marrero, A., Nicoson, C., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Frontiers in Sustainable Food SystemsAbstract~Neo-Traditional and Industrialized Dietary Patterns Coexist and Are Differentially Associated with Cardiometabolic Health among Adults in Puerto Rico
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Marrero, A., Haneuse, S., Golden, C. D., Rodríguez-Orengo, J. F., Tucker, K. L., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
The Journal of NutritionVolume
153Issue
11Page(s)
3259-3269AbstractAn increasingly industrialized food system has marginalized local, traditional food cultures in Puerto Rico (PR). Recent efforts to decolonize diets have promoted local food intake; however, how resulting dietary patterns may influence cardiometabolic disease remains unknown.An integrated assessment of environmental sustainability and nutrient availability of food consumption patterns in Latin America and the Caribbean
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Marrero, A., Anderson, E., de la Vega, C., Beltran, V., Haneuse, S., Golden, C., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
The American Journal of Clinical NutritionVolume
116Issue
5Page(s)
1265-1277AbstractIn Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), historical shifts away from traditional, plant-sourced food production and consumption patterns may undermine both nutritional status and environmental sustainability. Although agricultural intensification and increasingly animal-centric dietary preferences in the region are well-documented, their influence on environmental degradation remains unknown.An integrated assessment of environmental sustainability and nutrient availability of food consumption patterns in Latin America and the Caribbean
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Marrero, A., Anderson, E., de la Vega, C., Beltran, V., Haneuse, S., Golden, C., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
American Journal of Clinical NutritionAbstract~Association between adverse experiences during Hurricane María and mental and emotional distress among adults in Puerto Rico
AbstractMarrero, A. D., López-Cepero, A., O’Neill, H. J. J., Marrero, A., Falcon, L. M., Tamez, M., Rodríguez-Orengo, J. F., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric EpidemiologyVolume
57Issue
12Page(s)
2423-2432AbstractTo evaluate the association between adverse experiences during Hurricane María and mental and emotional distress in Puerto Rico.Reclaiming traditional, plant-based, climate-resilient food systems in small islands
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Marrero, A., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
The Lancet Planetary healthVolume
6Issue
2Page(s)
e171-e179AbstractSmall island developing states face challenges in cultivating healthy food systems and are currently bearing substantial burdens of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Local food production-rooted in collective local and Indigenous traditions, self-sufficiency, and climate-adaptive agricultural practices-has long emphasised a fibre-rich, plant-based diet; however, common histories of dietary colonialism have replaced local, small-scale farming and fisheries with non-nutritive cash crops, intensive livestock operations, and high-quality food exportation. Along with declines in traditional food availability, the resulting food import dependence has fostered a diabetogenic ecosystem composed of energy-dense cereal products, animal-based fats, and processed foods. The destabilisation of local food sectors undermines small island social and cultural systems, contributes to impoverishment and food insecurity during natural disasters, and, ultimately, can reduce diet quality and increase type 2 diabetes risk. Despite ongoing marginalisation of traditional local food systems, locally produced foods such as starchy roots, legumes, fruits, and seafood persist as nutritious and ecologically relevant cornerstones of self-determined local economic productivity and dietary health. Findings from community and epidemiological work suggest that local food production-bolstered by local and Indigenous agroecological knowledge, cultural preservation, and collective agency-can aid in reclaiming healthy and climate-resilient small island food systems.The Leptin System and Diet: A Mini Review of the Current Evidence
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Mendoza-Herrera, K., Florio, A. A., Moore, M., Marrero, A., Tamez, M., Bhupathiraju, S. N., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
Frontiers in EndocrinologyVolume
12Page(s)
749050AbstractLeptin promotes satiety and modulates energy balance and weight. Diet-induced obesity leads to leptin resistance, exacerbating overeating. We reviewed the literature on the relationship between diet and leptin, which suggests that addressing leptin resistance through dietary interventions can contribute counteracting obesity. Albeit some limitations (e.g., limited rigor, small samples sizes), studies in animals and humans show that diets high in fat, carbohydrates, fructose, and sucrose, and low in protein are drivers of leptin resistance. Despite methodological heterogeneity pertaining to this body of literature, experimental studies show that energy-restricted diets can reduce leptinemia both in the short and long term and potentially reverse leptin resistance in humans. We also discuss limitations of this evidence, future lines of research, and implications for clinical and public health translations. Main limitations include the lack of a single universally-accepted definition of leptin resistance, and of adequate ways to accurately measure it in humans. The use of leptin sensitizers (drugs) and genetically individualized diets are alternatives against leptin resistance that should be further researched in humans. The tested very-low-energy intervention diets are challenging to translate into wide clinical or population recommendations. In conclusion, the link between nutritional components and leptin resistance, as well as research indicating that this condition is reversible, emphasizes the potential of diet to recover sensitivity to this hormone. A harmonized definition of leptin resistance, reliable methods to measure it, and large-scale, translational, clinical, and precision nutrition research involving rigorous methods are needed to benefit populations through these approaches.Weight Stigma and Social Media: Evidence and Public Health Solutions
AbstractMarrero, A. D., Clark, O., Lee, M. M., Jingree, M. L. L., O’Dwyer, E., Yue, Y., Marrero, A., Tamez, M., Bhupathiraju, S. N., & Mattei, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
Frontiers in NutritionVolume
8Page(s)
739056AbstractWeight stigma is a pressing issue that affects individuals across the weight distribution. The role of social media in both alleviating and exacerbating weight bias has received growing attention. On one hand, biased algorithms on social media platforms may filter out posts from individuals in stigmatized groups and concentrate exposure to content that perpetuates problematic norms about weight. Individuals may also be more likely to engage in attacks due to increased anonymity and lack of substantive consequences online. The critical influence of social media in shaping beliefs may also lead to the internalization of weight stigma. However, social media could also be used as a positive agent of change. Movements such as Body Positivity, the Fatosphere, and Health at Every Size have helped counter negative stereotypes and provide more inclusive spaces. To support these efforts, governments should continue to explore legislative solutions to enact anti-weight discrimination policies, and platforms should invest in diverse content moderation teams with dedicated weight bias training while interrogating bias in existing algorithms. Public health practitioners and clinicians should leverage social media as a tool in weight management interventions and increase awareness of stigmatizing online content among their patients. Finally, researchers must explore how experiences of stigma differ across in-person and virtual settings and critically evaluate existing research methodologies and terminology. Addressing weight stigma on social media will take a concerted effort across an expansive set of stakeholders, but the benefits to population health are consequential and well-worth our collective attention.