Project Bread Welcomes Dr. Christopher Duggan to its Board

Project Bread, the statewide anti-hunger organization leading the integration of food and nutrition services into health care in community health centers across the Commonwealth, is pleased to welcome Christopher Duggan, M.D., M.P.H., a pediatric gastroenterologist and nutrition physician at Boston Children's Hospital, to the nonprofit’s Board of Directors. Project Bread’s Board of Directors is a group of professionals who provide governance, expertise, and strategic support to the nonprofit.

“Project Bread’s pursuit of bold, systemic solutions to the problem of hunger will benefit greatly from Dr. Duggan’s medical and personal perspective especially as we look to expand our impact, reaching patients through our partnerships with and referrals from community health centers,” says Erin McAleer, Project Bread CEO. “I believe he will be a strong advocate and a great partner in our work to end hunger statewide.”

Project Bread’s Health Care Partnerships Program works with clinicians in community health centers statewide to provide support to patients with critical health issues exacerbated by food insecurity. This innovative program addresses hunger as a social determinant of health, providing patients with individualized comprehensive case management to increase their access to healthy food resources and nutrition education. Since its launch in 2020, the Health Care Partnerships team has served more than 9,500 clients referred by health centers.

Since 2021, Dr. Duggan has served on Project Bread’s Advisory Council, separate from the nonprofit’s Board of Directors, leveraging his personal and professional networks to increase the organization’s impact and reach. During this time, the Newton resident joined the organization’s Health Care Partnerships Board subcommittee and participated in the nonprofit’s annual Walk for Hunger.

At Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Duggan directs the Center for Nutrition and is Medical Director of the Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation, one of the largest centers in the US for the care of children with intestinal failure/chronic diarrhea syndrome. He has led federally and foundation-funded nutrition trials in east Africa for many years; his clinical and research activities thus focus on optimizing outcomes for children with diarrheal diseases and nutritional problems globally. He is Samuel Meltzer Professor of Pediatrics in the Field of Gastroenterology and Director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School, and a Professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He mentors undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students throughout Harvard University. Since 2019, he has been Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, one of the top-rated peer-reviewed journals in the field of nutrition.

“Project Bread is a forward-thinking advocacy organization that has transformed the way we think about food security and health in Massachusetts,” says Dr. Duggan. “Their recent success in establishing school meals as a permanent component of K-12 education in the state, as well as their leadership in the burgeoning Food is Medicine movement, are wholly aligned with my professional role as an educator and health care provider at Boston Children’s Hospital. My experiences in the US and overseas in many settings have proven to me how critical food and water security is in preventing disease and optimizing growth in children. I am excited to join Project Bread’s Board of Directors to contribute my perspectives.”

Meeting four times a year, the Project Bread Board of Directors hold governance and fiduciary responsibility for the organization and serve as the nonprofit’s greatest ambassadors. While providing advice and strategic direction, taken from their individual areas of significant expertise, the group also strengthens Project Bread’s position by connecting leadership to their personal and professional networks. The Board of Directors is also philanthropically engaged, raising more than $350,000 annually in support of the organization’s strategic initiatives.

People experiencing food insecurity should call into Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread

Project Bread, the leading statewide anti-hunger nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food, while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.