Author: Sera Young

Reporting on Water Quality Testing Methods in Western Kenya

Reporting on Water Quality Testing Methods in Western Kenya

Our paper about human sensory perceptions of water quality and the tools used to quantify bacterial load in water was recently published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. In January 2016, Shalean Collins, Patrick Mbullo, and Joshua Miller collected water samples at 

Undergrads Hard at Work During the Summer

Undergrads Hard at Work During the Summer

Tracy and Julia, Northwestern undergraduates, are two of the students who have been hard at work this summer for the Young Research Group. Tracy and Julia have been focusing on data analyses for SNAP, our agro-ecological study in Tanzania, and HWISE, our global household water 

HWISE Study Gets a Home

HWISE Study Gets a Home

We are proud to announce the creation of a new website for our Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) study. The site documents the history of the project, its scientific grounding, its scope (we are currently at 18 sites globally), and will be updated regularly to record our findings, achievements, and progress in scale implementation. We implore you to take a moment and explore the site. If the study excites you, please don’t hesitate to reach out and get involved!

Perinatal Depression Among HIV-Infected Women in KwaZulu-Natal

Perinatal Depression Among HIV-Infected Women in KwaZulu-Natal

Congrats to Emily Tuthill (center) and the team on the publication of our paper, which describes the role of maternal mental health in infant feeding practices among South African women. In this paper, we found that depression is associated with lower rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Indeed, 

Dr. Beth Widen: A K99/R01 at UT Austin!

Dr. Beth Widen: A K99/R01 at UT Austin!

Dr. Beth Widen recently completed her post-doc and joined the University of Texas at Austin as a faculty member, where she is currently working on her NIH/NICHD K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. She is currently a Research Scientist and will begin her tenure-track Assistant Professor position 

Dr. Young Speaks at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women

Dr. Young Speaks at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women

In March, Dr. Young had the honor of presenting her findings about the role of food insecurity and depression in women’s economic development at this year’s U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. She presented results from our Kenyan, Ugandan, and Tanzanian pregnant and postpartum cohorts.

Dr. Young described a bidirectional relationships between food insecurity and depression: lack of quality food in sufficient quantities can diminish feelings of self-worth, which in turn hinders economic output and decreases overall production and/or household buying power. Understanding these links and addressing both problems is imperative for developing better policies and practices.

A more comprehensive overview of the discussion can be found here.

 

 

Experimental Biology 2017

Experimental Biology 2017

Our group tore it up at back-to-back scientific meetings this year! Congratulations to post-doc Godfred Boateng, who received first place in the American Society for Nutrition’s Emerging Leaders Poster Competition! The Community and Public Health RIS awarded this to Godfred presented his work entitled “Food Insecurity 

A Great First Human Biology Association Meeting!

A Great First Human Biology Association Meeting!

The Young Research Group had a terrific first Human Biology Association Meeting! The team traveled to New Orleans to present findings from our Pith Moromo Kenyan cohort study. Josh Miller’s poster “Perinatal geophagy is associated with HIV and anemia among women in western Kenya” was