Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Brent Kim, MHS ‘09, uses data science and visualization to better understand public health problems, and potential solutions, at the intersections of food, agriculture, and the environment.
Research Interests
sustainable diets; planetary health; the use of non-human animals in food production; soil safety; urban food systems; climate change; freshwater conservation; alternative proteins; risk assessment; antibiotic resistance; nutrition; behavior change; food and agricultural policy
Experiences & Accomplishments
My research has spanned food systems challenges from farm to fork. More than just characterizing problems, I evaluate the potential for interventions to steer humanity toward a kinder, more sustainable, and just future. While much of my focus has been on global crises, I appreciate opportunities to connect with farmers and local communities face-to-face. I have the world of respect for robust data and peer-reviewed evidence, while also recognizing that to truly reach people, I believe we must also employ vulnerable communication, creativity, and a willingness to listen and understand.
I earned my undergraduate degree in computer science from Tufts University, and my Master’s in Global Disease Epidemiology from the Bloomberg School of Public Health. While I feel at home developing quantitative models in Python, I spent my early career as a senior digital artist on several award-winning historical video games. Before transitioning to public health, I also served as a math teacher both domestically and abroad. I have never lost my appreciation for teaching, mentorship, and the arts, and those experiences continue to inform my role at the Center for a Livable Future as a scientist and educator.
Through my time at the Center, I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate on projects published in high-tier journals such as Environmental Health Perspectives, Nature Food, Global Environmental Change, and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Our findings have been featured in Popular Science, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, NPR, Newsweek, and Civil Eats, among other major media outlets.
Select Publications
A sampling of recent publications:
Ramsing R, Santo R, Kim BF, Altema-Johnson D, Wooden A, Chang KB, Semba RD, Love DC. 2023. Dairy and Plant-Based Milks: Implications for Nutrition and Planetary Health. Current Environmental Health Reports. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40572-023-00400-z
Lupolt SN, Santo RE, Kim BF, Green CE, Codling EE, Rule A, Chen R, Scheckel K, Strauss M, Cocke A, Little N, Rupp V, Viqueira R, Illuminati J, Epp Schmidt A, Nachman KE. 2021. The Safe Urban Harvests study: A community-driven cross-sectional assessment of metals in soil, irrigation water, and produce from urban farms and gardens in Baltimore, MD. Environmental Health Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9431
Santo RE, Kim BF, Goldman SE, Dutkiewicz J, Biehl EMB, Bloem MW, et al. 2020. Considering plant-based meat substitutes and cell-based meats: A public health and food systems perspective. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00134
Neff R, Ramsing R, Kim BF. 2023. Commercial weight-loss diets, greenhouse gas emissions, and freshwater consumption. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13248
Kim BF, Santo RE, Scatterday AP, Fry JP, Synk CM, Cebron SR, Mekonnen MM, Hoekstra AY, de Pee S, Bloem MW, Neff RA, Nachman KE. 2020. Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises. Global Environmental Change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.05.010