Dr. Shreela Sharma is co-founder of Brighter Bites. Dr. Sharma is responsible for operationalizing the Brighter Bites formula. She developed the research infrastructure for the program and continues to ensure rigorous replication of Brighter Bites across the United States. In her day job, Dr. Sharma is Professor of Epidemiology, and founding Director of the Center for Health Equity at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, Texas. She is a behavioral epidemiologist with specific interest in food and nutrition security, systems science, and health equity and has a robust, federally-funded research program in this area. She is also co-lead of the Health Equity Collective, a systems coalition to improve care coordination for social drivers of health needs in the Greater Houston region. Dr. Sharma has a PhD in Epidemiology and is a registered dietitian in the state of Texas