Meet the Faculty: Christine McDonald, ScD, MSc
Dr. Christine M. McDonald is a nutritional epidemiologist whose research focuses on developing and evaluating interventions to
improve maternal and child nutrition in low-resource settings. Her work examines how nutrition interventions can prevent micronutrient deficiencies, improve health outcomes, and be incorporated into effective public health programs.
Dr. McDonald’s interest in global nutrition began while studying clinical dietetics at the University of British Columbia, where she took a course in global nutrition. The course introduced her to the ways that nutrition research and policy could address major health challenges affecting women and children around the world and inspired her to pursue a Master of Science in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University. She later earned a Doctor of Science in Nutritional Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completed her postdoctoral training at Boston Children’s Hospital.
One of the most formative experiences of Dr. McDonald’s doctoral training was spending 18 months in rural Mali evaluating interventions to treat moderate acute malnutrition. The experience involved every stage of the research process from developing protocols and training staff to overseeing study procedures and analyzing the data, and helped shape her subsequent research in maternal and child nutrition.
Since then, Dr. McDonald’s research has focused on identifying practical, evidence-based approaches to improving nutrition among women and young children. Her work has included studies of micronutrient supplementation, food fortification, child growth, and the prevention and treatment of undernutrition. Across these areas, she is particularly interested in research that can inform programs and policies and ultimately reach populations at scale.
Dr. McDonald is currently collaborating with Nutrition International and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute to develop a surveillance system to measure the public health impact of scaling up salt fortified with iodine and folic acid in Ethiopia. She also coordinates the work of the Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements Task Force, which brings together researchers, implementers, and other partners working to expand the effective use of SQ-LNS to prevent child undernutrition. In Nepal, she is collaborating with colleagues at UCSF and the Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities to evaluate an intervention that integrates multiple micronutrient supplementation with group counseling to reduce anemia among preconception women.
Collaboration is an important part of her work. Dr. McDonald values the constant learning that comes from working with colleagues who bring different experiences and areas of expertise to complex global nutrition challenges. She particularly enjoys collaborating with people who share her passion for public health and nutrition.
Outside of work, Dr. McDonald enjoys running, skiing, cooking, and traveling. Most of all, she values spending time with her family.
Link to faculty profile: https://globalnutrition.ucdavis.edu/people/christine-mcdonald-0