Dr. Bidisha Mandal is the Ormsby Citizenship Award Winner

Dr. Bidisha Mandal, Health Extension Economist,  came to WSU in 2007 and has been serving since 2013 as an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist. Her extension program integrates economic research with applied analysis to address key public health issues and improve health related decision-making throughout the life-cycle. Dr. Mandal helped to implement an intervention program related to the school food environment for over 2,000 Spokane middle school students. Uniquely, this program reduced vending machine beverages to water only, limited ala carte offerings, extended the changes in the school food environment to three years, and assessed adolescent food consumption both in- and outside school. By modifying the school food environment, there were significant reductions in the consumption of pastries and juice in school and an increase in the consumption of milk outside of school. Dr. Mandal has also worked to educate adults about obesity, depression and transitional care. By taking her own and others’ research from health economics and health behaviors and building a strong Extension program, Dr. Mandal has addressed critical needs and issues about the health of the population of Washington State.