Health extension economist wins state service award
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Bidisha Mandal, health extension economist, is one of five faculty members statewide to receive the 2016 Rep. Timm Ormsby Award for Faculty Citizenship.
Sponsored by the Washington Council of Faculty Representatives, the award honors exemplary civic engagement by faculty from Washington’s public universities.
Mandal’s extension program integrates economic research with applied analysis to address key public health issues and improve health related decision-making. She educates adults about obesity, depression and transitional care.
She helped implement an intervention program for 2,000 Spokane, Wash., middle school students that reduced vending machine beverages and limited ala carte offerings. As a result, there were significant reductions in the consumption of pastries and juice in school and an increase in the consumption of milk outside school.
