Education
PhD, Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy, 2006
MHSc, Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University, 1998
Overview
I am a nutritional epidemiologist by training and the overall goal of my research program is to examine the role of diet and nutritional exposures in the health disparities experienced by underserved and high risk minority populations with respect to chronic disease. I am also interested in studying the role of dietary determinants of frailty and age-associated functional declines in the elderly. I have significant expertise in dietary assessment methodologies including the development and validation of food frequency questionnaires in diverse populations.
I collaborate with several longitudinal studies including the Jackson Heart Study, the MASALA study, the InCHIANTI study and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. My dietary assessment projects are based in several countries and include countries in Europe, Asia and South America.
Honors and Awards
Faculty Innovation Award, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2012)
Annual American Geriatrics Society, the National Institute on Aging, and the John A. Hartford Foundation Bedside-to-Bench Conference Travel Award (2009)
Christian Herter Fund Travel Award, Tufts University (2006)
Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy Tuition Scholarship, Tufts University (2000-2002)
J.N Tata Scholarship, J.N Tata Endowment, Mumbai, India (2000-2001)
Jamshetji Tata Gift Award, J.N Tata Endowment, Mumbai, India (2000-2001)