Dr. Yevheniia Varyvoda is Assistant Professor of Practice and Program Director for Environmental Health Sciences at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. With a Ph.D. in Environmental Geography and more than a decade of interdisciplinary experience, her work sits at the intersection of public health, food systems, and the environment. She integrates research, teaching, and program development to address complex health and environmental challenges.

Applying an implementation science framework to project evaluation, Dr. Varyvoda contributes to the assessment of Arizona's Trauma Recovery Centers (TRCs), a statewide initiative designed to identify barriers and facilitators to scaling a model of care that provides comprehensive, trauma-informed services for underserved survivors of violent crime. This work generates actionable, evidence-based insights for policymakers and practitioners advancing trauma-informed care across Arizona.

Across research, teaching, and outreach, she remains committed to translating evidence into practice and has engaged partners and communities across North America, Europe, and Africa.

Recent Publications

Varyvoda, Y., Yurika, R., Chukwuonye, G. N., et al. (2026). Barriers and enablers to scaling implementation of Trauma Recovery Center model of care: A protocol for scoping review. BMJ Open, 16, e107117. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-107117

Varyvoda, Y., Long, J., Burniske, G., & Taren, D. (2026). Scalable post-farmgate innovations in food systems: A scoping review for low- and middle-income countries. Nutrition Reviews, nuag007. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuag007

Varyvoda, Y., Thomson, A., & Bruno, J. (2025). Factors influencing the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in the U.S.: A social science literature review. Sustainability, 17(15), 6925. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156925

Patel, R. R., Varyvoda, Y., Baroud, H., Landrigan, P. J., & Kilungo, A. (2025). Health and climate at COP29: Advancing integration and bridging research gaps. Annals of Global Health, 91(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4895

Varyvoda, Y. (2024). Conference of the Parties (COP) 28 takeaways at the intersection of health, climate, and food. Nutrition Reviews, nuae083. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae083

Varyvoda, Y., Foerster, T. A., Mikkola, J., & Mars, M. M. (2024). Promising nature-based solutions to support climate adaptation of Arizona's local food entrepreneurs and optimize One Health. Sustainability, 16(8), 3176. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083176

Varyvoda, Y., & Taren, D. (2023). COP 27 insights to increase food-systems climate adaptation and resilience. Nutrition Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad035

Varyvoda, Y., Akseer, N., Sadkoviy, V., Carmona, R., Muramoto, M., Wazny, K., San Martin, T., & Taren, D. (2022). Ukraine's most vulnerable need healthcare: Priorities during the armed conflict. Public Health in Practice, 4, 100296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2022.100296

Varyvoda, Y., & Taren, D. (2022). Considering ecosystem services in food system resilience. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3652. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063652

Varyvoda, Y., Cederstrom, T., Borberg, J., & Taren, D. (2021). Enabling food safety entrepreneurship: Exploratory case studies from Nepal, Senegal, and Ethiopia. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.742908

Courses Taught

GenEd CPH/GHI 230: Public Health, Climate Change, and Resilient Food Systems

GenEd CPH/GHI 315: Sustainable Healthy Diets

GenEd HPS 316: Global Food Systems and Human Health

CPH/GHI 432/532: Food in 2050 and Beyond: Climate Change and Global Health

CPH/GHI 481/581: Crisis-Ready Food Systems

Research Interest

Health, Food Systems, and the Environment

Nature-Based Solutions and Public Health

Implementation Science

Trauma-Informed Care

Research Synopsis

Drawing on her background in environmental geography, Dr. Varyvoda's research focuses on equipping communities of practice with evidence-based information about the potential and limitations of nature-based solutions, emerging technologies, and sustainable practices for addressing challenges at the intersection of public health, food systems, and the environment. Her research also encompasses implementation science, contributing to the evaluation of trauma-informed models of care for underserved populations. Across these areas, she translates evidence into actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and communities in support of improved health and well-being