Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, I reached three target audiences: USDA, OSHA, and CDC staff, undergraduate students, and the broader scientific and academic community.I conducted interviews with federal representativesto gather data related to interagency coordiantion and collaboration, including best practices and suggestions for the future. I also reached undergraduate students through giving three guest lectures in relevant geography and sociology courses. Finally, I presented preliminary findings at three academic conferences: the Eastern Sociological Association, The American Association of Geographers, and the International Network of Social Network Analysis. Changes/Problems:During this reporting period, I faced major challenges that required adjustments to the project approach. Recruitment of federal agency staff proved difficult due to workforce changes, which slowed interviews and delayed data collection. These challenges impacted the original timeline but did not reduce the overall project scope or goals. I revised the social network survey to focus on agency-level coordination rather than individual names. I now administer the survey at the end of each interview rather than through a mass distribution. This change improves participation, increases data quality, and addresses privacy concerns that limited earlier responses. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided multiple opportunities for training and professional development. Conducting 19 interviews with USDA staff helped me futheradvance myqualitative research skills, including designing interview protocols, survey instruments,and coding and analyzing complex policy and stakeholder data. I applied a One Health framework to evaluate federal policies, strengthening my ability to integrate human, animal, and environmental health considerations into social science research. Presenting preliminary findings in undergraduate classrooms, seminars, and conferences allowed me to practice translating complex research into clear, non-technical language and effectively engage diverse audiences. I shared my work at the Eastern Sociological Association, the American Association of Geographers, and the International Network for Social Network Analysis conferences. I also participated in three INSNA workshops in Paris, France: "Mapping and Geovisualization with Social Networks," "Introduction and Demonstration of Participatory Social Network Mapping Approaches for Health Equity," and "Mixed Methods for Social Network Analysis," which enhanced my technical and methodological skills in social network analysis. In addition, I participated in the 2025 Life Together Leadership Fellows Program at Syracuse University, which strengthened my leadership, collaboration, and project management skills. Together, these experiences improved research skills, policy analysis proficiency, science communication abilities, and leadership capabilities while also providing mentorship and knowledge-sharing opportunities for students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?This project has disseminated results to multiple communities of interest through presentations, lectures, and conferences. I shared preliminary findings in three undergraduate courses, introducing students to interagency collaboration, One Health frameworks, and the intersections of worker and food safety. These lectures provided students with the opportunity to learn more about how toapply social science research to real-world policy issues, encouraging interest in careers in science, public policy, and food systems. I also presented at three professional conferences--the Eastern Sociological Association, the American Association of Geographers, and INSNA--reaching academic researchers, practitioners, and policy professionals who influence food system resilience. Additionally, I participated in workshops hosted by INSNA, which included training in social network analysis methods relevant to public health and food safety research. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During this reporting period, I faced several challenges. Federal workforce changes and other barriers, such as restrictions to participating in research, made it difficult to recruit agency staff for interviews. The original social network survey, which asked for individual names, limited responses and engagement. To improve participation, I redesigned the social network survey to focus on agency-level coordination rather than individual names and now administer the survey at the end of each interview instead of using a mass distribution list. In this next report period, I will continue scheduling and conducting interviews with USDA, OSHA, FSIS, NIOSH, CDC, and other relevant stakeholders. I will collect and analyze emergent documents, including agency responses to disease outbreaks, to continue to track patterns of coordiantion and collaboration. I will code qualitative data and integrate findings with social network analysis to identify patterns, gaps, and opportunities for collaboration. I will also prepare a final report synthesizing results and highlighting best practices for interagency coordination. I will also write academic reports, synthesize results, highlight best practices for interagency coordination, and present findings at professional conferences. These actions advance the project's goals of evaluating policies, documenting intersections between worker and food safety, and providing recommendations to strengthen food system resilience.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major weaknesses in the meatpacking sector, where plant shutdowns and worker illnesses disrupted the food supply, raised prices, and put both workers and consumers at risk. The goal of this project is to increase collaboration between federal agencies, such as USDA and OSHA, to create a more resilient meatpacking sector, protecting both workers and the food supply. To achieve this, I am evaluatingexisting policies through a One Health framework, documenting the intersections between worker safety, food safety, and public health, mapping current interagency collaborations, analyzingchallenges and goals among agencies, and developing policy recommendations to improve coordination. During this reporting period, I conductedinterviews with USDA staff,analyzedof policy documents and interview data, and shared preliminary findings with students and researchers through lectures and presentations. To date, I have conducted 19 interviews with USDA staff, begun analyzing and coding interview data, and reviewed key policies that regulate the sector using a One Health framework to assess their impact on both worker and food safety.While no direct changes have occurred yet as a result of this research, the final report will document findings and identify best practices of collaboration and opportunities for strengthening inter- and intra- agency collaboration. These results are expected to inform future stakeholder engagement and guide collaborative activities across agencies. This work matters because improved coordination has the potential to safeguard the health of over half a million meatpacking workers and ensure a safe, affordable food supply for millions of consumers during future crises.

Publications