Supporting and shaping the global nutrition agenda with evidence: A three-decade journey of research and partnerships for impact

This year’s Forman Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Marie Ruel, Senior Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit at IFPRI. She served as the Director of IFPRI’s Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division from 2004 to 2023, after serving as Senior Research Fellow and Research Fellow in that division beginning in 1996.

Dr. Ruel will reflect on the role of research in supporting and shaping the evolution of the global nutrition agenda over the last three decades. Drawing on examples from her journey in research leadership, she will present the case for how investments in rigorous research and partnerships with development actors around the world have supported this evolution. Her case studies will highlight the importance of evidence in shaping agendas for maternal and child nutrition and nutrition-sensitive programming, and in positioning nutrition and healthy diets within agriculture and food systems. Dr. Ruel’s lecture will focus on the role of researchers in sustaining and guiding major global development trends. Her lecture will conclude by discussing implications for investments in research and their critical importance in supporting effective action to solve the malnutrition crisis that the world continues to face today.

The annual lecture commemorates Martin J. Forman, who headed the Office of Nutrition at USAID for more than 20 years and made a significant impact on international nutrition. The lecturer is invited to present personal views about major issues related to malnutrition.