Saria Lofton, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
Department of Population Health Nursing Science
Contact
Address:
845 S. Damen Ave. (MC 802), Chicago, IL 60612
Email:
About
Dr. Saria Lofton is a health disparities nurse researcher whose research program centers on Food Is Medicine (FIM) interventions for Black and underserved communities managing cardiovascular disease risk and chronic illness, with a focus on culturally responsive program design, digital health delivery, and community-engaged research.
Dr. Lofton leads two active FIM intervention studies. FIM+DASH is an NIH-funded R01 that integrates DASH diet principles, cooking skills training, and blood pressure self-management for adults with hypertension. FIM-BCS examines Food Is Medicine approaches for Black breast cancer survivors in Chicago, and served as the pilot study in which Dr. Lofton first deployed the GRACE Kitchen digital tool with participants.
Dr. Lofton developed the GRACE Framework — a transferable cooking structure that integrates evidence-based DASH dietary principles within cultural cooking traditions — and the accompanying GRACE Kitchen app. GRACE Kitchen is a digital health tool that connects FIM produce delivery with cooking skills and DASH-aligned meal guidance. It is being integrated as an optional participant-facing companion in the FIM+DASH R01, supporting produce utilization between intervention sessions.
Dr. Lofton also serves as Community Outreach & Engagement Core (COEC) Lead for the NIH P20-funded CECHE Center (Center for Extreme Conditions and Health Excellence). Within the COEC, she leads the Food Systems Workgroup, which includes a subaward partnership with Chicago Grows Food to advance community-based food systems in Chicago. She also directs the GROW Summer Institute — a nature-based solutions youth summer program that engages students in climate health topics including food systems, air quality, water, and soil health.
Selected Grants
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, FIM + DASH: A Randomized Food-Is-Medicine Trial to Improve Diet and Blood Pressure Control among Black Women with Hypertension, Principal Investigator
Illinois Cancer Health Research Center, funded through American Cancer Society, Modification for Black Breast Cancer Survivors with Cardiovascular Risk, Principal Investigator
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Center for Climate Health Equity, Community Engagement Core Lead
Chicago Health Equity Research Chicago, Examining food access in Chicago’s Black communities: A Collaborative process to transform the local food system, Principal Investigator
SUNY Foundation, Understanding Barriers and Facilitators towards participating in a Food Is Medicine intervention for Black women with stage 1 hypertension, Principal Investigator
University of Illinois PACT, Grow Your Groceries Evaluation, Principal Investigator
Selected Publications
Darby, J. E., Akpotu, I. C., Wi, D., Ahmed, S., Doorenbos, A. Z., & Lofton, S. (2025). A scoping review of social determinants of health and pain outcomes in sickle cell disease. Pain Management Nursing: Official Journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses, 26(1), e1–e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2024.09.002
Lofton, S., Martin, A., Kersten, M., Lubimbi, N., Vilme, H., Avorgbedor, F., & Odoms-Young, A. (2023). Understanding Barriers and Strategies to Accessing Healthy Food in Urban Agriculture for Community Residents in Predominantly Black Communities. Community Health Equity Research & Policy, 45 (3), 291-303.
Lofton, S., Simonovich, S. D., Buscemi, J., Grant, A., O’Donnell, A., Nwafor, G., & Reid, M. (2023). Exploring food environment interventions for diet-related outcomes using a food sovereignty framework: a systematic review. Health Promotion International, 38(2), daac164.
Lofton, S., Kersten, M., Simonovich, S. D., & Martin, A. (2021). Mutual aid organisations and their role in reducing food insecurity in Chicago’s urban communities during COVID-19. Public Health Nutrition, 1–4.
Lofton, S., Norr, K., Patil, C., Jere, D., & Banda, C. (2020). Developing action plans in Youth Photovoice to address community-level HIV risk in rural Malawi. International Journal of Qualitative Methods.