During the 2025 Cascais World Food Summit in Portugal, Sabine O’Hara, distinguished professor of architecture and urban sustainability at the University of the District of Columbia, received the first prize in food security for her latest book, Food Justice in American Cities: Stories of Health and Resilience (Routledge, 2023).
The award-winning monograph documents food insecurity in urban America and examines whether emerging food and agricultural initiatives can address the food security needs of urban communities throughout the country.
At the University of the District of Columbia, Dr. O’Hara teaches in the Ph.D. program in urban leadership and entreprenuership. She previously directed the program and served as founding dean of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences. Additionally, she holds an affiliate faculty appointment with Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.
As a scholar of agricultural and environmental economics, Dr. O’Hara’s research centers on sustainable urban food systems, circular economies, and environmental justice. She has authored several books, including Higher Education in Africa: Equity, Access, Opportunity (Institute of International Educaiton, 2010).
Dr. O’Hara received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural and life sciences, her master’s degree in agricultural economics, and her Ph.D. in environmental economics from the University of Göttingen in Germany.