Sophia V. Hua, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Faculty Affiliate, Center for Health Incentives and Behavior Economics, University of Pennsylvania
Senior Fellow , Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI)
Senior Fellow, Penn Center for Public Health, University of Pennsylvania
Core Faculty, Penn Center on Food and Nutrition Policy
Department: Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Contact information
Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy
The University of Pennsylvania
1105B Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19104
The University of Pennsylvania
1105B Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Email:
sohua@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
sohua@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Education:
BS (Psychology)
Yale University, 2015.
MPH (Social and Behavioral Sciences)
Yale School of Public Health, 2016.
PhD (Population Health Sciences - Public Health Nutrition)
Harvard , 2022.
Permanent linkBS (Psychology)
Yale University, 2015.
MPH (Social and Behavioral Sciences)
Yale School of Public Health, 2016.
PhD (Population Health Sciences - Public Health Nutrition)
Harvard , 2022.
Selected Publications
Watson M, Hua SV, Busse K, Sealy NR, Moraru E, Imbot A, Naseer N, Wu G, Hinkle SN: The Influence of Barriers to Healthy Eating on Food Insecurity in a Low-Income, Low-Food Access Community (virtual oral presentation). Society for Epidemiologic Research, Mid Year Meeting 2025.Hua SV, Yam E, Leone E, Gibson L, Rimm EB, Roberto CA: Changing Entrée Portion Size Labels to Encourage Selection of Smaller Portions When Dining Out: A Randomized Controlled Field Experiment (oral presentation). American Society of Nutrition Meeting, Orlando, FL 2025.
Hua SV: A Harm-reduction approach to eating out (Opinion Piece). STAT News 2024.
Gibson LA, Stephens-Shields AJ, Hua SV, Orr JA, Lawman HG, Bleich SN, Volpp KG, Bleakley A, Thorndike AN, Roberto CA: Comparison of sales from bending machines with 4 different food and beverage messages. JAMA Network Open 7(5): e249438, 2024.
Hua SV, Lee MM, Mozaffarian R, Bleich SN, Roberto CA, Fleming-Milici F, Stephenson B, Kenney EL: Impact of the Philadelphia beverage tax on beverage advertising expenditures and number of ads purchased. American Journal of Preventative Medicine 67(2): 274-281, 2024.
Lowery CM, Roberto CA, Hua SV, Bleich SN, Mitra N, Lawman HG, Taillie LS, Ng SW, Gibson LA: Impact of the Philadelphia beverage tax on perceived beverage healthfulness, tax awareness and tax opinions. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 56(5): 321-331, 2024.
Lee MM, Gibson LA, Hua SV, Lowery CM, Paul M, Roberto CA, Lawman HG, Bleich SN, Mitra N, Kenney EL. : Advertising and stocking at small retailers: A sweetened beverage excise tax in Philadelphia. Am J Prev Med 66(3): 408-417, 2024.
Hua SV, Lee MM, Mozaffarian R, Bleich SN, Roberto CA, Fleming-Milici F, Stephenson B, Kenney EL: Impact of the Philadelphia beverage tax on beverage advertising expenditures and number of ads purchased (oral presentation). Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research Meeting, Denver, CO 2024.
Hua SV.: Drink companies hide the sugar behind the vitamins (Opinion Piece). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2024.
Hua SV, Bleich SN, Lee MM, Roberto CR, Mozaffarian R, Norris J, Kenney EL: Impact of the Philadelphia beverage tax on costs and number of ads purchased (oral presentation). The Obesity Society Annual Meeting, Dallas, TX 2023.