Dipa Shah-Patel

Dipa Shah-Patel directs the Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Program, and has nearly twenty years of experience implementing federally funded and state administered nutrition programs to improve the health of low-income and vulnerable communities. Under her leadership, the Nutrition and Physical Activity Program has shifted its focus to addressing upstream factors that impact diet-related diseases, including food insecurity and poverty. She has served on numerous task forces and presented to a variety of audiences on food insecurity and its relationship to diet-related chronic diseases. Dipa was instrumental in the development of several Board motions adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors focused on screening for food insecurity in County clinics and reducing food waste and food insecurity. Ms. Shah-Patel served on LA County’s Food Security Branch, established by the Office of Emergency Management to respond to the growing prevalence of food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dipa is also a board member of the national nonprofit organization Wholesome Wave, which has been a leader in developing produce prescription programs across the United States. Dipa received her both her B.A. in History with a minor in Education and M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences from UCLA. She is also a Registered Dietitian.