Ruth Delicia Palombo

Ruth D. Palombo, MS, MA, PhD of Arlington, MA, passed away on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, MA after a long battle with cancer. Her funeral service is planned at 11:00AM on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, MA.

Ruth was born in New York, the daughter of Ralph and Celia Palombo, and spent most of her childhood in Bayside, Queens. She is survived by her brother, Albert (Alby) Palombo and his wife, Linda Berggren, of Alpharetta, GA; her nephew, David Palombo, his wife, Sunny Lu, and son, Byron, of Marshfield, MA; her nephew, Michael (Mike) Palombo, and his wife, Whitney, and daughter, Elliana Ruth, of Greensboro, GA. She is also survived by many first cousins and extended family members from Florida to California and the Mid Atlantic to New England.

Ruth received her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1970, and over the years several advanced degrees from prestigious institutions, including Teachers College, Columbia University; Tufts University; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brandeis University, culminating in 2003 with her PhD from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis. Her PhD Dissertation was “Addressing the Social Lives of Older Americans: A New Challenge for Public Health.”

Ruth held several notable public health leadership positions in Massachusetts during her career. Her first nutrition and dietetics position was Assistant Director for Patient Services at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center. Next, Ruth became the State Nutrition Director at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health where she established the Office of Nutrition. In that role, she worked in public health nutrition, maternal and child health (MCH), and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded WISEWOMAN Project.

As her career evolved into public health and aging, Ruth moved on to a position in the MA Department of Public Health’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs. There, she served as the Assistant Secretary for program planning and management with responsibilities for planning aging policies and addressing a wide range of issues that affected the health and well-being of seniors. Ruth had a joint appointment at the Tufts University School of Medicine and the Friedman School of Nutritional Science and Policy where she was an assistant professor and taught courses in gerontology, community nutrition, and public health.

Finally, Ruth became the Senior Health Policy Officer at the Tufts Health Plan Foundation where she was responsible for the Foundation’s education, relationship-building, and policy-related activities. She established collaborative ties with government agencies, community organizations, academic institutions, and thought leaders to advance the Foundation’s goal to establish Massachusetts as a national model for healthy aging.

Ruth was an active member of many advisory boards and committees in the public health, aging and gerontology fields. She was the Principal Investigator on multiple research projects and grants through the Administration for Community Living, Administration on Aging, National Council on Aging, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Her many articles and journal entries appear in diverse platforms, including the Massachusetts Councils on Aging, Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Journal of Women’s Health, and Preventive Medicine, among many others. Ruth Palombo was in demand as a professor, lecturer, guest lecturer, editor, advisor and/or mentor for many institutions, professional organizations, and national conferences. She will be remembered for her tireless work and commitment to nutrition, public health and policy, health equity, social justice, elder affairs, and her contributions to the field of gerontology.