CV

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Contact Information

Name Matthew M. Lee, PhD
Email mlee26@gmail.com
Website https://leem26.github.io

Experience

  • 2026 - present

    Remote

    Project Leader, Research | Strategy and Impact
    Partners for Public Good
    • Provide research and statistical support to values-based food purchasing projects, including mapping state purchasing thresholds for school food authorities, designing questionnaires on uptake of sustainability and nutrition goals in food procurement, and reviewing reports and white papers.
    • Co-develop funding proposals for private and public funders to build the school food procurement portfolio.
    • Lead novel research benchmarking municipal procurement functions in the U.S. using administrative, survey, and governmental data, in collaboration with local governments and procurement experts.
    • Manage research associates, fellows, and consultants, including training in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
  • 2026 - present

    Boston, MA

    Adjunct Faculty, Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy
    Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
    • Instructor for PEP 809: Statistical Programming in R; develop syllabi, lectures, assignments, and assessments.
    • Teach R, RStudio, and Git/GitHub to master’s students, covering programming foundations, data management, statistical methods, and data visualization.
  • 2025 - present

    Durham, NC

    Research Consultant
    Kurtosis Research
    • Support a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research-funded review of community nutrition and social policy effects on weight, food security, and health outcomes.
    • Lead mixed-methods analysis of a randomized experiment to increase take-up of Earned Income Tax Credit benefits among California WIC participants.
    • Provide biostatistical, study design, and manuscript consulting to partners in the biomedical and clinical sciences.
  • 2025 - 2026

    Cambridge, MA

    Postdoctoral Fellow, Taubman Center for State and Local Government
    Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government
    • Led evaluation of a guaranteed income intervention in Chelsea, MA, which increased total calories by 11%, fruit by 14%, and total vegetable consumption by 16%.
    • Applied econometric and quantitative methods to evaluate local government policies and programs with respect to implementation, burden, scalability, and resident wellbeing.
    • Used machine learning on unstructured call text (BERT and other large language models) to estimate the causal effects of alternative emergency response in Los Angeles, CA, on behavioral health.
    • Conducted mixed-methods research on causes of homelessness in Detroit, MI, to improve housing crisis call scripts and referral infrastructure for residents facing eviction.
  • 2024 - 2025

    Boston, MA

    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Social Policies for Health Equity Research Center (SPHERE)
    Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
    • Estimated causal effects of social policies on health and nutrition using observational and experimental data, high-performance computing, and econometric methods, including COVID-19 county-level policies and child cardiometabolic health (restricted Census data) and state paid family leave and perinatal health.
    • Led independent analyses of COVID-19 waivers for SNAP and WIC on administrative burden and program utilization, and of adherence to US dietary guidelines and child health trajectories through adolescence.
  • 2020 - 2024

    Boston, MA

    Nutrition Policy Researcher, Department of Nutrition
    Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
    • Led data analysis, code review, and manuscript development on nutrition policies addressing childhood obesity, food access, and food insecurity, including nutrition assistance programs, sweetened beverage excise taxes, and targeted food and beverage marketing.
  • 2020 - 2024

    Boston, MA

    Cost-Effectiveness Researcher, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
    Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
    • Conducted microsimulation-based cost-effectiveness analyses of US policy interventions and their long-run impacts on health spending, obesity, morbidity, and mortality.
    • Developed the R backend for processing simulation output (tables, figures, and sensitivity logs), now incorporated in the Childhood Obesity Interventions Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) microsimulation model.
  • 2017 - 2019

    Berkeley, CA

    Researcher, Community Health Sciences
    University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health
    • Managed quasi-experimental evaluation of sugary beverage taxes in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco; oversaw a team of 30 researchers.
    • Supported analyses for the Fit Study, a three-year cluster-randomized trial of BMI screening and reporting.
    • Led spatial analyses of targeted beverage marketing in San Francisco and spillover effects of physical education lawsuits on California district PE policies.

Education

  • 2024

    Cambridge, MA

    PhD
    Harvard University
    Population Health Sciences (Public Health Nutrition)
  • 2024

    Boston, MA

    SM
    Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
    Biostatistics
  • 2019

    Berkeley, CA

    MS
    University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health
    Epidemiology
  • 2016

    Berkeley, CA

    BA
    University of California, Berkeley
    Public Health
    • Minors: Global Poverty, Music

Publications

Works in Review

  • Lee MM, Jackson KE, Fernández-Viña N, Dougan SS, Gosliner W, Hamad R, White JS, de Trinidad Young M, Fernald LCH. Behavioral strategies to increase take-up of health-promoting anti-poverty benefits: A randomized pilot trial and mixed-methods evaluation among California WIC. Under review at Prev Med.
  • Dore EC†, Lee MM†, Jackson KE, Carton T, Pletcher M, Hamad R. Impacts of county-level COVID-19 policies on child food insecurity and health: findings from the National Health Interview Survey. Under review at Milbank Q.
  • Dore EC, Lee MM, Jackson KE, Carton T, Pletcher MJ, Hamad R. Association between County-Level COVID-19 Policies and Adult Health: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey. Under review at Public Health Reports.
  • Jackson KE, Wright E, Wang G, Dore EC, Lee MM, Pletcher MJ, Carton TW, Hamad R. The association of pandemic-era county policies with mental healthcare utilization among US adults. Under review at Am J Public Health.

Reports and Briefs

  • Stelson EA, Lee MM, Poole MK. What keeps us up at night: Reflections from a lost generation of scientists. The Milbank Quarterly (June 2025).

Presentations

  • Lee MM, Jackson KE, Carton T, Pletcher MJ, Hamad R. Examining the Effects of County-Level COVID-19 Policies on Child Nutrition and Health Equity to Inform Current and Future Policymaking. Healthy Eating Research Annual Meeting (March 2025).
  • Lee MM, Poole MK, Chen JT, Gortmaker SL, Stephenson BK, Haines J, Chavarro J, Kenney EL. Longitudinal Changes in Adherence to US Dietary Guidelines and Associations With Body Mass Index Among Adolescents in the Growing Up Today Study: A Change-in-Change Study. American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting (July 2024).
  • Chapman LE, Richardson SA, Rimm EB, Gortmaker SL, Lee MM, Cohen JFW. Examining Student Plate Waste Following a Conversion From Pre-packaged to Scratch-Cooked Lunches Prepared On-Site: A Longitudinal Cohort Study. American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting (July 2024).
  • Lee MM, Kenney EL, Carlson K, Novick E, Portocarrero P, Rimm EB, Chen JT, Gortmaker SL, Stephenson BK, Liebman J. Impact of unconditional cash transfers on diet during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized lottery experiment. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (November 2023).
  • Lee MM, Gibson LA, Hua SV, Lowery CM, Paul M, Roberto CA, Lawman HG, Bleich SN, Mitra N, Kenney EL. Changes in advertising and store stocking practices among small, independent beverage retailers following a sweetened beverage excise tax in Philadelphia: A difference-in-differences study. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (November 2023).
  • Chapman L, Richardson S, Rimm EB, Gortmaker SL, Lee MM, Cohen J. Daily saturated fat and sodium content of school meals among a nationally representative sample of elementary schools in the United States. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (November 2023).
  • Lee MM, Barrett J, Kenney EL, Gouck J, Cradock AL, Long MW, Ward ZJ, Rohrer B, Gortmaker SL. Impacts of a state-wide sugar-sweetened beverage excise tax in California: Projected benefits for population obesity and health equity. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (2022).
  • Kenney EL, Lee MM, Barrett J, Ward ZJ, Long MW, Cradock AL, Gortmaker SL. The cost-effectiveness and health equity impacts of improved nutrition standards in WIC, and the potential for maximizing WIC’s benefits for population health. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (2022).
  • Yuan H, Schillinger D, Ponce J, Lee MM, Falbe J, Daniels R, Madsen K. Implementation of 3 sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in California Bay Area. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (2019).

Invited Lectures

  • Impacts of paid family leave on perinatal health: a nationwide quasi-experimental study. Paid Leave for All Monthly Meeting (October 2026).
  • Equitable Food Policy in the United States. California State University, Long Beach, H SC 507: Health Equity and Health Disparities Research in the US (May 2026, October 2025, October 2024).
  • Assessing outcome evaluation study designs, quality, and considerations for health equity. NUT 232: Designing and Evaluating Behavioral Interventions Targeting Diet (November 2024).

Teaching

  • Instructor, PEP 809: Statistical Programming in R. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Spring 2026).
  • Teaching Fellow, PHS 2000A/B: Quantitative Research Methods in Population Health Sciences. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022).
  • Teaching Fellow, SBS 203/204: Program Implementation and Evaluation. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Spring 2022, 2023, and 2024).
  • Teaching Fellow, Nutrition 202: The Biological Basis of Human Nutrition. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Spring 2022).

Awards and Honors

2024: ASN Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Award
2023: APHA Annual Conference Food and Nutrition Abstract Award
2023: GSAS Professional Development Fund Recipient
2022: Irene M. & Fredrick J. Stare Nutrition Education Fund Awardee
2021: Berkowitz Fellowship in Public Health
2020, 2021: Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
2020: Simon, Arpi, and Marie Simonian Research Excellence in Nutrition Prize
2019: Prajna Chair's Scholarship in Public Health Nutrition
2017: Reshetko Family Scholarship

Service

  • Ad hoc reviewer: American Journal of Public Health; Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; PLOS ONE; PLOS Medicine; AJPM Focus; American Journal of Preventive Medicine; Pediatrics; BMC Public Health; Scientific Reports; Frontiers in Nutrition; Preventive Medicine Reports; Public Health; International Journal of Obesity; Journal of Nutritional Science.

Technical Skills

Statistical programming: R (fluent), Stata (fluent), SAS, Python, Stan (working)
Spatial analysis: R (fluent), ArcGIS (working)
Qualitative analysis: Dedoose (fluent), Atlas.ti (working)
Version control: Git, GitHub
High-performance computing: O2 (Harvard Medical School), FASRC/FASSE (Harvard University)
Design: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, Lightroom