My research efforts are focused on the application of evidence-based practices and research methods to promote the implementation and scale-up of effective interventions for reducing the global burden of child malnutrition and linear growth delay. My doctoral training involved the use of geo-spatial analysis methods to examine environmental and spatial factors associated with iron deficiency and infection among young children in Ghana. Since completing my PhD, I have broadened my focus to Planetary Health – specifically the impact of climate and environmental changes on the nutrition and health outcomes of children and other vulnerable populations. My ultimate vision is to find ways to bridge the gap between research and practice that support ground-level solutions and community-driven implementation strategies for improving nutrition-related outcomes through increased climate resilience and household food security.

Current and pending projects:

1. Global child health - Project title: “Novel indicators of child growth and malnutrition to monitor global and country progress” (PI: Dr. Daniel Roth). Collaborations include the Hospital for Sick Children, Centre for Global Child Health and DHS-ICF International. Supported by USAID. The overall aim of this research is to identify optimal alternative metrics to quantify early childhood growth and nutritional status at the population-level in low- and middle-income countries.

2. Planetary health - Project title: “Scalability of an asset-based climate-smart agricultural strategy to improve agricultural output, household socioeconomic status and the nutrition and cardiopulmonary health of rural women and children in East Africa” (PIs: Dr. Faith Yego; Dr. Paula Braitstein). Collaborators in proposal development included Moi University, University of Toronto, AMPATH, SNV. The overall objective of this proposed research was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of transitioning smallholder subsistence livestock farmers in western Kenya to a zero-grazing rearing system combined with installation of a biogas tank for cooking.