Hannah Thompson, director of the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, will join colleagues from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in an upcoming webinar focused on promoting physical activity among youth in schools. The event is part of the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) Connect & Explore series and is scheduled for March 10, 2026.
Thompson will present alongside Erin Hager and Rachel Deitch from Johns Hopkins. Together, they will discuss “Play, Policy, and Potential: A Toolkit to Support Advancing Recess in Schools Through State Laws.” The toolkit aims to help establish state-level policies supporting recess in schools.
The webinar, titled “Supporting Recess in Schools: Evidence, Health Impact, and Action,” runs from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. PT and is open for free online registration.
During the session, participants can expect to learn about the public health implications of recess, recognize how schools can serve as venues for promoting physical activity among youth, and examine how state policy influences school recess.
The speakers include Erin Hager, PhD; Rachel Deitch, MS; both from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Hannah Thompson, PhD, MPH; University of California Nutrition Policy Institute.
NCCOR works with research funders to address childhood obesity through collaboration across sectors. According to NCCOR’s mission statement: “NCCOR’s mission is to build and advance practices to reduce United States childhood obesity across all communities. This is accomplished through collaboration across sectors, developing research support, and translating research into practice.”
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), which houses the Nutrition Policy Institute led by Thompson, operates as part of the University of California system. UC ANR applies university expertise throughout California via research centers and outreach initiatives designed to improve well-being statewide. The organization maintains offices in all 58 California counties as well as nine Research and Extension Centers serving diverse ecosystems (official website). Glenda Humiston serves as vice president of UC ANR (official website). For over a century, UC ANR has contributed resources in nutrition education and community support (official website).