APE Opportunity, Assessing the Role of Micronutrients in Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (ARM-CHAMPS)

Collaboration with the Assessing the Role of Micronutrients in Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (ARM-CHAMPS)

Dietary assessment of pregnant women in the Assessing the Role of Micronutrients in Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (ARM-CHAMPS) Project

Project Description

CHAMPS is a long-term project supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to use surveillance data to help African and South Asian countries, public health programs, and local or global child health advocates and policymakers to prevent childhood mortality, diseases, and illnesses, such as neural tube defects, stunting, and nutrient deficiency diseases. CHAMPS collaborates with many partners, including the Pregnancy Risk Stratification Innovation and Measurement Alliance (PRiSMA) study in Kenya and Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). Preliminary findings from CHAMPS suggest that nearly three-fourths of children aged 6-59 months were malnourished at time of death, and malnutrition contributed to death in approximately 29% of children. The goal of ARM-CHAMPS is to assess the role of micronutrient malnutrition on infant and child mortality and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Specifically, we will assess dietary intake for diet quality and usual intake of essential vitamins and minerals and their associations with micronutrient biomarkers and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Beginning this fall, field research will be conducted in Ethiopia (Harar and Kersa) and Kenya (Karemo and Kisumu) and involve the collection of repeated 24-hr dietary recalls of 200 pregnant women per site over the 18mo surveillance period. This research carries the potential to identify current micronutrient intakes of pregnant women and their role in health and birth outcomes for the purpose of informing policy recommendations concerning micronutrient supplementation.

Project Description

The selected student will be an integral member of the Emory-based team in collaboration with the dietary teams in Ethiopia and Kenya. The student will assist in preparing raw survey data from 24-hr dietary recalls for nutrient analysis through activities such as the following: providing quality assurance on data entries, conducting literature searches, calculating edible portions, standardizing recipes for local dishes, and linking foods from dietary surveys to food composition tables. Additional tasks such as creating job aids for field staff training on recipe standardization or documenting analytical processes may be assigned as needed.

Qualifications

Required

• Upper-division undergraduate coursework in nutrition
• Attention to detail
• Interest in cultural foods of East African cuisines
• Interest in maternal and child health

Preferred

• Proficiency in Excel
• Proficiency in a programming language or statistical software (R, SAS, STATA, etc.)
• Experience with 24-hr dietary recalls
• Experience conducting nutrient analyses

Knowledge & Skills Gained

This is an excellent opportunity for students to gain knowledge and skills that will be beneficial for careers in public health nutrition programs, dietetics, and future doctorate studies. The student will gain desirable research skills in dietary assessment methods, nutrient analysis, data management, and international and multidisciplinary collaboration. The student will learn about 24-hr dietary recall methods, dietary diversity scores, and population-level assessment of food and nutrient intakes. 

Additional Information

• The position is open for all first-year MPH students for one (1) APE student appointment.
• APE project deliverables can be adapted to match student interests.
• A stipend of $500 will be provided.
• Opportunity to continue working with the project for the nutrient analysis and receive co-authorship on academic publications.
• Orientation and initial training will be provided in Fall 2023.
• The student project will begin in January 2024.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should send 1) a one-page resume that includes previous relevant coursework and 2) a cover letter expressing interest and summarizing qualifications to Dr. Rochelle Werner at erwerne [at] emory [dot] edu. New applications will be received through September 5, 2023 or until filled. Successful applicants will be invited to an in-person interview at the Department of Global Health.