Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and FoodNiche Institute Announce Collaboration to Advance Food as Medicine Research

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Sept. 10, 2026 - PRLog -- Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) and FoodNiche Institute (FNI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a research collaboration focused on evaluating the efficacy of BNMC's Food as Medicine programming and strengthening the evidence base for nutrition-based health interventions.

BNMC has developed a robust Food as Medicine program designed to address the intersection of nutrition, food access, and chronic disease. Building on its work with participants and community partners, BNMC is expanding its focus to measure the efficacy of its interventions. Under the MOU signed in July 2026, FoodNiche Institute will collaborate with BNMC to design studies that evaluate the efficacy of BNMC Food as Medicine programs.

The collaboration will integrate rigorous evaluation framework into program design from the outset. FNI will work with BNMC to develop research questions and study protocols, identify appropriate outcome measures, establish standardized data-collection approaches, support Institutional Review Board processes as applicable.

"BNMC does not just provide food. We build the systems that make food as medicine durable: the partnerships, the delivery infrastructure, the clinical connections. Western New York already has extraordinary community capacity. What has been missing is a design and data strategy strong enough that programs outlive their grant cycles, and that is exactly what this collaboration is designed to produce," said Beth Machnica, MPH NS RDN CDN, Director of Health and Well-Being at BNMC.

"This collaboration represents an important step toward strengthening the evidence behind Food as Medicine. By pairing BNMC's strong implementation infrastructure and community reach with FoodNiche Institute's scientific and research expertise, we have an opportunity to move beyond demonstrating impact to rigorously measuring it," said Julia Olayanju PhD MPH, Principal Investigator, FoodNiche Institute.

The agreement establishes a framework for continued collaboration between BNMC and FoodNiche Institute on Food as Medicine research and evaluation, creating opportunities to develop and study interventions that address food access while generating evidence about their potential contribution to better health.

About Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Health and Well-Being department brings together healthcare institutions, researchers, community organizations, and other partners to advance Lifestyle Medicine and health in Western New York. Through collaborative initiatives, BNMC works to address complex health and community challenges and develop approaches that improve outcomes and strengthen communities.

About FoodNiche Institute

FoodNiche Institute is focused on advancing research, education, and collaboration at the intersection of food and health. FNI works with healthcare and community organizations to design and evaluate nutrition and Food as Medicine interventions, helping organizations systematically measure outcomes, generate evidence, and translate findings into strategies for greater impact.