Robert (Bob) Pezzolesi, MPH, ODHM
Co-founder & co-convener of Interfaith Public Health Network
Robert (Bob) Pezzolesi, MPH, ODHM, is a public health advocate dedicated to building healthier communities by integrating faith-inspired social change with science-based public health policy and practice. He is the co-founder and co-convener of the Interfaith Public Health Network (IPHN).
Much of Bob’s work has centered on engaging and mobilizing faith communities and other groups in support of evidence-based public health nutrition policies and alcohol policies. These efforts have included coordinating community engagement strategy (in partnership with the Center for Science in the Public Interest) toward the successful passage of New York City’s Sweet Truth Act – the nation’s first policy requiring warning labels for chain restaurant menu items with excessive amounts of added sugar. His other policy campaigns have included building support for New York State bills to ban certain harmful chemical food additives and promote transparency for chemical food additives in New York.
A member of the United Methodist Church (UMC) since 1991, Bob is a consecrated and commissioned Home Missioner within the denomination.