Yolanda Michelle Adwoa is a researcher at Cornell University's Odoms-Young Nutrition Liberation, Food Sovereignty, and Justice Lab and a PhD candidate in Psychology specializing in Health Psychology at Capella University. Her research integrates Health Psychology, Food Psychology, and Nutritional Psychology. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, she examines how psychological, social, and environmental factors shape food behaviors, mental health, and overall well-being. 

Yolanda is committed to advancing holistic health psychology in families with diverse health needs, particularly maternal health, children, and adolescents, with the goal of improving psychological, emotional, nutritional, and mental well-being. Her scholar-practitioner work contributes to the prevention and management of chronic childhood illnesses and seeks to bridge research and practice through community-based health education initiatives, empowering families to achieve sustainable physical and mental wellness.

Her dissertation, "Examining Obesity, Weight Perceptions & Psychological Well-Being in Black Mothers: The Role of Social-Ecological Factors," focuses on the psychological, socio-cultural, and environmental factors influencing food attitudes and behaviors, weight perceptions, and mental health in Black mothers.  Broadly, Yolanda's research investigates the psychological, socio-cultural, and environmental factors that impact well-being, including how psychological factors influence eating behaviors, food choices & motivation, emotional regulation, health psychology and parenting, food-related parenting styles, family dynamics in health and food choices, and children's cognitive development and mental health. Yolanda also investigates the psychological and behavioral aspects of nutrition, exploring how dietary habits and food choices influence mental health and how holistic health interventions can support children with neurodivergence, comorbidities, and disabilities. 

At the Odoms-Young Lab, Yolanda serves as project lead for two studies under Dr. Odoms-Young: the Nutrition & Disability Scoping Review and a study examining Parental Perceptions of Mealtime Behaviors in African American children diagnosed with Autism.