About Matias Lab
Welcome to the Matias Lab!
As a Cooperative Extension academic, Dr. Matias works on advancing research and extension centered on increasing access to healthy food, promoting health through nutrition and preventing nutrition-related chronic diseases. With a vision to increase food justice and health equity, we focus our efforts on underserved, marginalized and vulnerable populations. Using epidemiological methods and biostatistics we study biological and behavioral exposures and outcomes related to food environments, dietary practices, health and wellbeing, with a clear understanding of the social drivers of health.
Publications
Matias SL, Bacon KA, Lee DL, Marshall SK, Felix C, Vitale EH, Ritchie LD. Trends in California Child and Adult Care Food Program Participation Among Family Child Care Home Providers: The Role of Tiered Meal Reimbursements. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2026 Feb;58(2):97-104. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2025.11.008. PMID: 41651590.
Bacon KA, Lee DL, Vasicsek R, Felix C, Kay-Daleiden Marshall S, Homel Vitale E, Matias SL, Ritchie LD. Provider, sponsor and family perceptions of Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) participation and COVID-19 reimbursement increases. Public Health Nutr. 2025 Nov 3;28(1):e195. doi: 10.1017/S1368980025101389. PMID: 41177525; PMCID: PMC12722094.