Mike Essman is a Research Scientist at Duke University’s World Food Policy Center. His background is in evaluating nutrition and food policies aimed at improving diets and preventing cardiometabolic diseases. His work employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore drivers of dietary behavior, particularly ultra-processed food consumption, across diverse environments and countries. Mike earned his PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where his research focused on evaluating the impacts of a sugary beverage tax in South Africa. He completed MSc degrees in Medical Anthropology and Global Health Science at the University of Oxford through a fellowship. Prior to joining Duke, he conducted research at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, where he evaluated the impacts of calorie labeling policies in England and led a study examining public perceptions of ultra-processed foods.
- LinkedIN Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-essman/
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5017-3880
Curriculum Vitae
Publications
Essman M, Burgoine T, Huang Y, Jones A, Polden M, Robinson E, et al. Changes in energy content of menu items at out-of-home food outlets in England after calorie labelling policy implementation: a pre–post analysis (2021–2022). BMJ Public Health. 2025;3:e001905. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2024-001905.
Essman M, Parnham JC, Chang K, Etkind MP, Shah P, Smith D, Vasiljevic M, Boyland E, Cummins S, Vamos EP, White M, Adams J. Understandings of ultra-processed foods: a qualitative interview study of UK adults with responsibility for household food activities. medRxiv preprint. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.18.25332943.
Parnham JC, Chang K, Essman M, Smith D, Etkind MP, McKenzie M, Vasiljevic M, Petticrew M, White M, Laverty AA, Boyland E, Cummins S, Millett C, Adams J, Vamos EP. Framing of ultra-processed foods and associations with interests of actors quoted in UK news media, 2022-2023: a mixed-methods study. medRxiv preprint. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.15.25333779.
Essman M, Burgoine T, Jones A, et al. Assessing the impact of a mandatory calorie labelling policy in out-of-home food outlets in England on consumer behaviour: a natural experimental study. BMC Public Health 25, 955 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22150-3.
Essman M, Bishop T, Burgoine T, Jones A, Polden M, Robinson E, et al. (2025) Implementation and enforcement of mandatory calorie labelling regulations for the out-of-home sector in England: Qualitative study of the experiences of business implementers and regulatory enforcers. PLoS One 20(7): e0323452. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323452.
