Prof. Aron Troen is a member of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he directs the Nutrition and Brain Health Laboratory and teaches in the School of Nutrition Science and the School of Public Health. Much of his research is concerned with clarifying the basic biological connection between dietary quality and brain health. However, for many people, putting nutritional insight into practice is not simply a matter of life-style choices, but a matter of life-circumstances. Prevalent food insecurity is a key driver of ill health, deprivation and economic harm worldwide, including in High Income Countries like Israel. Evidence-based policy is essential to improve the food security, welfare, health and resilience of individuals and nations, to enhance the quality of the food supply, and to ensure that it is equitable, safe and sustainable. Therefore, in addition to his core translational research, Troen’s evolving research and public service activities examine Israeli food policy reform and anti-obesity legislation, micronutrient fortification and food security, including during the COVID pandemic. He is particularly interested in how Israeli policies affect disparities in diet and health that correspond to socioeconomic and ethnic differences in food insecurity. He serves on several government committees on nutrition, health and food security, and on the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute steering committee for evaluating the Israeli government’s front of package food labeling policy, and he recently led a Food Security round table in the State of Israel Food System Dialogues in preparation for the UN World Food Summit.

Troen received his doctorate from Oxford University and BSc from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prior to returning home to join the Hebrew University, he was on faculty at the Freidman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and the Jean Mayer United Stated Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.