Harriet Okronipa

I joined Oklahoma State University in August 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences. Prior to joining OSU, I completed postdoctoral training at University of California, Davis and Cornell University, where she worked on nutrition research projects in Mexico, Ghana, and Kenya.

I lead the Global Nutrition Research Group, where our work focuses on improving food and nutrition security among vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly pregnant and lactating women, adolescents, and children in low-resource settings globally. Our research examines the complex relationships among food insecurity, diet quality, food environments, and health outcomes, with the goal of identifying sustainable strategies to reduce nutrition-related health disparities.

My research has documented barriers to healthy eating and food access among diverse populations, including adolescent mothers, international students, and school-age children. Through community-engaged and evidence-based approaches, my team and I implement and evaluate nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions designed to improve dietary behaviors, nutrition outcomes, and overall well-being. Our work also explores how family, school, and community food environments shape dietary practices and health across the life course.

My current research includes studies examining food insecurity and diet quality among pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers, as well as the influence of school food environments on adolescent nutrition and health behaviors. I am committed to advancing nutrition equity locally and globally by integrating community partnerships, implementation research, and student mentorship into my scholarship to develop practical, culturally relevant solutions that improve food and nutrition security.

Research interests:

Maternal, adolescent, and child nutrition; Food and nutrition security; Diet quality and dietary behaviors; Food environments and health outcomes; School nutrition programs; Community-based programs; Nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions.