Maryam is a PhD student in the City and Regional Planning program at PennDesign. She is interested in community-based research that explores the intersection of public health, community food system and community economic development. She received her master degree in Urban Planning from SUNY at Buffalo. Prior to coming to Penn, she worked as a research associate at the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab in Buffalo NY. She worked toward building the capacity of non-profit organizations and local governments to strengthen community food systems as well as coordinating on the ground health interventions to promote active living among school-aged children. Her current project explores the ways that immigrant food entrepreneurs impact the health and well-being of immigrants and receiving communities.