Q&A with Stephanie L. Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition - UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (2024)

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What was your background before joining the faculty at Gillings?

Q&A with Stephanie L. Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition - UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (1)

Dr. Stephanie L. Martin

I worked for global health NGOs for 13 years before getting my PhD in nutrition and then joining the faculty at Gillings. As a global health practitioner, I was responsible for designing and implementing social and behavior change activities to improve public health and nutrition. A large part of my work was developing training materials for community volunteers and health workers and counseling materials for program participants. I have a master’s degree in adult education because I was interested in how best to train health workers and community volunteers to deliver health services and implement public health activities.

What drew you to the Gillings School of Global Public Health?

Even though much of my research is largely focused on nutrition, I worked on many different public health topics when I was a global health practitioner (infectious disease [including HIV]; reproductive health; maternal and child health; water, sanitation, and hygiene). I really appreciate the breadth of public health topics that Gillings faculty, researchers, and students are working on, which provide so many opportunities to collaborate. Any time I have looked for someone with a specific area of expertise for a new project, I have always been able to find someone who has that expertise at Gillings. When I first visited Gillings, I heard people say, “global health is local health,” and since joining Gillings I was able to expand my research to include projects here in North Carolina and in Appalachia, while continuing my global research. I really value that the school encouraged these global-local connections.

Please tell us a little more about your research in improving nutrition throughout pregnancy and childhood.

Q&A with Stephanie L. Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition - UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (2)

Dr. Martin with her collaborators at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) and Better Health for the African Mother and Child (BHAMC) and Epi alum Esther Chung, PhD. They were working on women’s experiences managing work and breastfeeding.

My research has been informed by my experience working on global health programs, and so I conduct applied research that focuses on improving the quality and impact of nutrition programs and interventions. My research is done in partnership with researchers and organizations in the areas where I work and is based on their priorities and interests. Through my research, I hope to increase support for families to able to practice all of the nutrition recommendations they receive during pregnancy through childhood. A lot of my research has focused on including fathers, grandmothers, and other family members in nutrition during pregnancy and childhood – they are so influential but often not included. I facilitate a global community of practice about engaging families in nutrition with more than 800 members around the world. We have quarterly webinars featuring experiences and research from global health practitioners and researchers. If anyone would like to join, please email me!

Can you tell us about your experience as part of the USAID-funded nutrition project and your work in Zambia?

Q&A with Stephanie L. Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition - UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (3)

Dr. Martin and the SUN LE team at their annual meeting where they shared results with the Government of the Republic of Zambia and other partners.

I work on the Scaling Up Nutrition Learning and Evaluation (SUN LE) project, which is funded by USAID/Zambia. Khulisa Management Services leads our SUN LE consortium with Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), ICF and UNC. This project provides monitoring, evaluation, and research support to the Zambian National Food and Nutrition Commission. For one of our activities, we worked together with faculty and students from the University of Zambia, UNC Global Project Zambia, and our UNC Chapel Hill team to assess the readiness of health facilities to provide nutrition services as part of antenatal care and child health visits at 120 health facilities in all 10 provinces in Zambia. This included observations, surveys with health care providers, and interviews with clients. I like working on SUN LE because the activities are based on the priorities of the National Food and Nutrition Commission and we have annual meetings to share our results with key government partners, NGOs, and donors in Zambia so that they can directly influence policies and programs. This project has also generated a lot of data which BSPH students have been able to use for their honors theses.

What’s the best part of your day?

I love connecting with my collaborators. Since most of my research is in East and Southern Africa, I usually start my days with calls with my collaborators. I really enjoy these conversations and the opportunity to build these relationships and feel connected. I also really like working with students on research. I enjoy getting to know them and hearing their perspectives and suggestions while we work together on research.

Q&A with Stephanie L. Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition - UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (4)

Dr. Martin with her colleague who was with CFK Africa and their lab partner in Nairobi for their project on iron deficiency and anemia among adolescent girls in an informal settlement in Kenya.

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Q&A with Stephanie L. Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition - UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (2024)

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