Sociologist Laura Schmidt is dedicated to understanding how changing lifestyles are contributing to globally rising rates of chronic disease and what to do about it. Laura bridges the worlds of biomedical research and population health in exploring the growing pressures of globalizing economies, rising inequality and the marketization of products that are undermining our health. A professor at the UCSF School of Medicine, Laura holds a joint appointment in the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and the Department of Anthropology, History and Social Medicine. She is the lead investigator on SugarScience, which educates the public about the latest science on sugar. Laura also works directly with decision makers to promote scientifically substantiated social policy reforms. She spoke at TEDMED 2015.