Nilupa Gunaratna
Associate Professor
Office: Matthews Hall, Room 214E
Phone: (765) 496-0139
E-Mail: gunaratna@purdue.edu
Research Interests
Dr. Gunaratna’s research aims to identify and evaluate multisectoral interventions, particularly those involving agriculture, that can equitably and sustainably improve nutrition and health outcomes at scale in developing countries. With a focus on Africa, she has conducted randomized studies and surveys on the effectiveness, consumer acceptance, and strategies for promotion and scaling up of nutrition-sensitive agricultural technologies; evaluation of large-scale integrated nutrition and agriculture programs; and clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of nutrition-specific interventions to reduce the risks of adverse nutrition and health outcomes among neonates, infants, young children, adolescent girls, and women of reproductive age in low resource settings. Her current work evaluates interventions and technologies such as genetic and agronomic biofortification, promotion of improved livestock, and the use of peer groups to encourage positive behaviors relating to child feeding, early childhood stimulation, sanitation and hygiene, and gender relationships.
Education
- BA, College Scholar Program at Cornell University in 1999
- MSc, Agronomy (Specialization in Plant Genetics and Breeding) at Purdue University in 2002
- MSc, Statistics (Specialization in Applied Statistics) at Purdue University in 2003
- PhD, Statistics at Purdue University in 2007
Selected Publications
A complete list of Dr. Gunaratna's publications can be found here.
Learning
| PUBH 49000C |
Exploring Global Health Through Data |
| PUBH 51000 |
Design and Analysis of Randomized Trials in Public Health |
| PUBH 59000C | Introduction to Global Health |