By Lisa Newman

ortheastern professor Jessica Blom-Hoffman has been out of school for six years and has already been recognized as a prominent figure in the psychology field.

Her research focuses on developing and evaluating programs for children in urban areas to help them develop healthy eating habits.

“I work with children to encourage them to eat more fruits and vegetables, especially at lunch in the cafeteria,” said Blom-Hoffman

A combination of familiarity with the subject, and opportunity to work in the area has led her to winning the Lightner Witmer award, an annual award presented to a person who has been out of school for seven years or less and who has made scientific contributions to the field. The award is presented by the school psychology division of the American Psychological Association.

“It was a real high point in my career,” Blom-Hoffman said. “Especially since one of my professors, who won the award a previous year, was there to see me. It was really exciting.”

Blom-Hoffman’s interest in eating healthy started young.

“Growing up, I was raised in a family where healthy eating was emphasized,” she said. “When I went to grad school, I was trained in a program that viewed the field of school psychology in a very broad way. It encouraged me to think about ways that school psychologists could work with teachers, and parents and the community to come together to promote children’s health.”

Blom-Hoffman started her research in the Philadelphia School District. She attended graduate school at Lehigh University. When she moved to Boston to teach classes at Northeastern, she also moved her studies to the Boston Public Schools.

At Northeastern, Blom-Hoffman has taught courses like Behavior Management in the Classroom and Learning Principals. She has also supervised internships for the School Psychology Program.

In line with the National Association of School Psychologists’ annual school psychology awareness week, which takes place this week, Blom-Hoffman will promote issues relating to school psychology.

“We promote the educational and social development of students,” Blom-Hoffman said. “When there’s a problem in the student’s life, we work with them, their teachers and their parents to understand the situation then help them to be the best they can, both academically and socially.”