Dr. Tracy Nelson is the director of the Colorado School of Public Health at Colorado State University. Dr. Nelson's research has primarily focused on genetic and environmental risk factors (e.g. diet, physical activity and inflammatory factors) and chronic disease outcomes including cardiovascular, diabetes and obesity. She has used both observational and experimental designs to answer questions related to this focus area, collaborating with faculty from Health and Exercise Science, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, faculty from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Colorado School of Public Health. Most recently, Dr. Nelson has been working with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) or Green Berets at Fort Carson, Colorado as well as the Air Force Special Operators at Hurlburt Field and Cannon AFB. The United States Special Operations Command has developed a program called Preservation of the Force and the Family that focuses on the human, psychological, social/family and spiritual performance of these soldiers. She is helping them to evaluate and potentially strengthen the interventions that enhance these domains of performance. Tracy has also worked with La Clínica Tepeyac, a medical clinic in Denver. The goal of this project was to implement an innovative, community-level approach to reduce chronic disease disparities in the low-income Globeville, Elyria and Swansea (GES) neighborhoods in Denver. She is furthering this work, as part of the National Western Center project, to make connections and enhance the health of these neighborhoods.