Four UNLV students in the Class of 2028 — Liahm Blank, Kaloyan Momchilov, Joshua Khorsandi, and Nicole Kang (all Medicine) — published new research in the Nevada Journal of Public Health. Their work, titled “Nevada as a Microcosm for Poor Health Outcomes Resulting from Food Insecurity,” examines how local food shortages translate into measurable health harm across Southern Nevada. Thomas A. Vida served as faculty mentor.
The students analyzed data from 39 ZIP codes and uncovered a stark pattern: areas with higher food insecurity experience greater chronic disease, shorter life expectancy, and dramatically higher rates of premature death. Food insecurity explained 83% of the variation in premature mortality and 66% of the variation in life expectancy across communities. The same ZIP codes showed higher rates of heart disease, heart-failure hospitalizations, obesity, diabetes, poor mental health, and insufficient sleep.
The study reveals that limited access to nutritious food drives health decline in multiple ways. Irregular meals destabilize chronic disease management. High costs push families toward calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Persistent financial strain amplifies stress, worsens cardiometabolic health, and disrupts sleep.
Their findings carry particular weight during the holidays, when many residents contribute to food drives yet remain unaware of the year-round health burden created by food insecurity. The team’s work underscores an urgent need for investments in SNAP and WIC enrollment, universal school meals, and community-level strategies that improve access to healthy food.
Blank, Momchilov, Khorsandi, and Kang demonstrate how UNLV medical students can advance public health through rigorous, place-based research that strengthens Nevada’s future.
