On Tuesday, September 15, Blair students will gather into the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration for the inaugural Skeptics of the new academic semester to hear from Grace Chamberlin ’15–a champion of sustainable, equitable and accessible food systems–who currently works for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

“My interest in public health started right here at Blair, in a junior year epidemiology class,” she says, but the seed for that interest in nutrition policy, specifically, was planted in her first job out of college. 

“I worked for a community health nonprofit called Project Horseshoe Farm. I was living in rural Alabama, helping people navigate health insurance and doctors’ appointments for diabetes and heart disease and cancer, while also delivering meals to people who couldn’t access real food because their benefits had run out, or they didn’t have a car and couldn’t get to the grocery store thirty, forty minutes from their house.”

At the same time, she was attending potluck dinners where, she says, “Food was this beautiful way to connect people, to learn about local culture and history.” She began to realize that food is a critical factor in health and well-being. “I saw the negative impact of not having access to nutritious food,” shares Ms. Chamberlin as she recalled her entryway into her current career as a nutrition policy advocate.

“After exploring research for a few years, I realized I had swung from one end of the spectrum to the other—from a very hands-on, community-facing role in Alabama to a much more academic, behind-the-desk research role. I wanted a middle ground: a way to stay connected to communities and real-world impact while still constantly learning and engaging with evidence.” 

That realization ultimately led her to graduate school for health policy and then to her current employer, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). CSPI is a national, nonpartisan policy advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., that has been advocating for food safety and food access for over 50 years. “At CSPI, we all work on different things but we’re all asking ourselves: ‘How do we improve the food system to make it more equitable and sustainable and accessible and healthy?’”

Since Ms. Chamberlin left the hilltop, the ambitious former alum has built a strong résumé fueled by her passion for making a positive difference in the world. Immediately after graduating from Blair, the former field hockey player and rower obtained her BA in sociology from Williams College, and, eventually, earned her master of public health degree from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Throughout her academic years, she has stayed busy at various organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, North Carolina Medicaid, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Global Food Research Program. 

When asked about how she found professional opportunities, she adds, “What I’ve learned over the past few years is to follow your curiosity and just do the next right thing. At every age, I’ve been an overthinker. I’ve put a lot of weight on my decisions and been hyperfocused on, ‘Okay, where do I ultimately want to be?’ or ‘How do I change the world?’ And that can be crippling!”

What has been really helpful for her is remembering that she is not sealing her fate with each decision. “I’m just taking another step forward,” she says, “and in making those decisions, I’ve asked instead, ‘Okay, well, what am I curious about? What have I not tried yet? What skills have I not flexed in a while? What skills do I want to learn? Who do I want to work with?’ And ultimately, even if it wasn’t the most linear path, I certainly haven’t looked back on any of the steps I’ve taken and felt that they were the wrong ones.” 

All are welcome to hear Ms. Chamberlin speak in the forum of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

History of Skeptics

The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.