Michael R. Thomsen
Professor and Governor Sidney S. McMath Chair in Obesity Prevention, Director Center for the Study of Obesity
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
faculty
Health Policy & Management, College of Public Health
Research Areas
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Biography and Research Information
OverviewAI-generated summary
Michael R. Thomsen, Professor and Governor Sidney S. McMath Chair in Obesity Prevention at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, directs the Center for the Study of Obesity, Health Policy & Management. His research interests encompass public health, with a focus on food security, health disparities, and the impact of environmental and educational initiatives on health outcomes. He has been the Principal Investigator on federal grants totaling $677,692, including NIH funding for studies on the impact of school meal delivery on behavioral disorders in children and the Little Rock Green Schoolyard Initiative aimed at improving opportunities for physical activity.
Dr. Thomsen's recent publications explore the associations between food insecurity and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of dollar stores in food deserts, and the use of machine learning in evaluating BMI screening programs. His work also extends to examining income variability and cardiovascular disease risk in individuals with diabetes, and evaluating the effects of school-based nutrition programs on academic achievement.
With a scholarly record marked by an h-index of 20 and over 1,555 citations across 160 publications, Dr. Thomsen is recognized as a high-impact researcher. He actively collaborates with colleagues at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, including Kari A. Weber, Matthew J. Barenie, Anthony Goudie, and Clare C. Brown, and leads a dedicated research group.
Metrics
- h-index: 20
- Publications: 160
- Citations: 1,555
Selected Publications
- ECIN Replication Package for "Universal Free Meals and School Suspensions" (2026) DOI
- ECIN Replication Package for "Universal Free Meals and School Suspensions" (2026) DOI
- Quantifying Cancer Burden Attributable to Obesity: Highlighting the Disparities by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity in a Rural State with High Obesity and Cancer Burden. (2025)
- Physical activity level among male and female middle to high school students and impact of perceived school climate: a longitudinal analysis (2025) DOI
- Playing Alone: Recess Physical Activity and Social Interactions of Children with and Without Obesity and Severe Obesity (2025) DOI
- The relationship between aging out of the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children assistance and weight status in kindergarten (2025) DOI
- Examining relationships between U.S. children's physical activity levels during recess, school days, and weekend days (2025) DOI
- The Relationship between Aging Out of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Assistance (WIC) and Weight Status in Kindergarten (2025) DOI
- Mosaic of Movements: Relationships between Children's Physical Activity Levels During Recess, School Days, and Weekend Days (2025) DOI
- Fairness in Low Birthweight Predictive Models: Implications of Excluding Race/Ethnicity (2025) DOI
- Risk of adverse infant outcomes associated with maternal mental health and substance use disorders (2024) DOI
- Assessing the Impact of Air Quality and Heat on Recess Physical Activity in School Children (2024) DOI
- Income variability and incident cardiovascular disease in diabetes: a population-based cohort study (2024) DOI
- Where the children play: Gender gaps in recess physical activity by age and playground area (2024) DOI
- Abstract 4865: Income dynamics and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in individuals with type 2 diabetes: A nationwide population-based cohort study (2024) DOI
Federal Grants 2 $677,692 total
Grants & Funding
- SNAP Purchasing Power and Food Insecurity During the Pandemic Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Pass Through: University of Florida Principal Investigator
- The Impact of School Meal Delivery on Behavioral Disorders among Children in Health Disparity Populations NIH/Nat. Inst. of Mental Health Principal Investigator
- HOPE for Cancer: Healthy Outcomes through Produce Prescriptions and Education National Institute of Food and Agriculture Principal Investigator
- The Impact of School Meal Delivery on Behavioral Disorders among Children in Health Disparity Populations NIH/Nat. Inst. of Mental Health Principal Investigator
- Impact of Universal School Meals UAMS ACHRI Flow Through Principal Investigator
- HOPE for Cancer: Healthy Outcomes through Produce Prescriptions and Education National Institute of Food and Agriculture Principal Investigator
- The Little Rock Green Schoolyard Initiative: Changing Community Norms and Improving Opportunities for Physical Activity NIH/National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities Principal Investigator
- The Impact of School Meal Delivery on Behavioral Disorders among Children in Health Disparity Populations NIH/Nat. Inst. of Mental Health Principal Investigator
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