Sara Naomi Bleich

Sara Naomi Bleich is an American psychologist and professor of public health who is the inaugural Vice Provost for Special Projects at Harvard University. She specializes in diet-related disease and healthcare inequality. She previously served as a White House Fellow during the Presidency of Barack Obama. She was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine.

Early life and education
Bleich is from Baltimore and attended the Garrison Forest School. She was an undergraduate student at Columbia University, where she studied psychology. She moved to Harvard University for her doctoral research, where she studied obesity policy. Her research showed that trust in scientific experts results in closer adherence with their nutritional recommendations, and that Hispanic people and old people had low odds of trusting scientific experts.

Research and career


Bleich was an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University. She investigated disparities in physician practice, demonstrating that obese patients felt judged by their doctors and were less likely to lose weight as a result.

In 2015, Bleich was appointed a White House Fellow. She joined the White House during the Obama administration. She advised United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on food, nutrition and consumer services. She also worked with Michelle Obama on the Let's Move! initiative.

In 2016, Bleich moved to Harvard University as a professor of Public Health Policy. From 2022 to 2023, Bleich worked with Joe Biden as Director of the USDA activity on Nutrition Security and Health Equity. She was made Vice Provost for Special Projects at Harvard in 2023, where she was put in charge of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery.

Awards and honors

 * 2015 Prize for Research in Public Interest Communications
 * 2015 Frank Prize
 * 2017 Garrison Forest Hall of Excellence
 * 2023 Inducted to the National Academy of Medicine