Web Bio Page

My overall research interests are in maternal and child nutrition. I also work on program evaluations and the design and development of effective programs and policies to improve child health and nutrition in developing countries. In particular, I examine the processes of program and policy design, implementation and utilization, all of which are important to optimize so that existing knowledge on efficacious nutrition interventions can be translated into large scale nutrition programs as well as national and global policies.

I also study the influence of caregiver resources, like education, physical and mental wellbeing, social networks and social support, on child care practices and child nutrition in developing countries. Furthermore, I conduct research on how the influence of these resources on care practices can be mitigated by programmatic actions.

1. The role of decentralization in influencing the  translation of government policy into local programmatic actions in Vietnam (under the Mainstreaming Nutrition Initiative, with Save the Children, Vietnam and the National Institute of Nutrition, Vietnam)
2. Integrating nutrition with BRAC's maternal, newborn and child health program: challenges and opportunities (under the Mainstreaming Nutrition Initiative, with BRAC, Bangladesh)
3. Developing a global framework for mainstreaming maternal and child nutrition interventions into health sector strategies. (with ICDDR,B, funded by the World Bank)
4. The influence of the work context of community health workers on the effectiveness of a behavior change communication program in rural Haiti. (funded by IFPRI)

1. Assessing the feasibility of implementing a conditional cash transfer program in Haiti (with IFPRI, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank)A study of factors influencing the success of fortification programs worldwide ( to inform the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's nutrition strategy)
2. An evaluation of preventive versus recuperative targeting of a food assisted integrated maternal and child health program in haiti (with IFPRI; funded by FANTA/USAID)
3. An evaluation of the feasibility and effectiveness of providing micronutrient Sprinkles along with fortified food rations in reducing anemia among children 6-24 months of age. (with IFPRI; funded by Micronutrient Initiative, Canada)

Purnima Menon was born and raised in India.  She received her Ph.D. in International Nutrition from Cornell University in 2002, an M.Sc. in foods and nutrition from Lady Irwin College in Delhi University (India) and a B.Sc. in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Madras in India. Her research interests include the epidemiology of infant growth, with a focus on developing programs and policies to improve child growth. She is particularly interested in complementary feeding practices and in designing interventions to improve these practices.   In addition to English, she speaks four Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali) and French, and has a working knowledge of Haitian Creole & Spanish.

www.ifpri.org/srstaff/Menonp.asp

www.people.cornell.edu/pages/pm38

www.mainstreamingnutrition.org

Menon, P., Arimond, M., Ruel, MT, Habicht, J.-P., Pelto, G, Loechl, C.U. 2005. Using operations research to strengthen an impact evaluation comparing two integrated nutrition programs in Haiti.  In:  Vorster HH, Blaauw R, Dhansay MA, Kuzwayo PMN, Moeng TL, Wenzel-Viljoen, E (Eds). Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Nutrition, 19 - 23 September 2005, Durban, South Africa: Nutrition Safari for Innovative Solutions. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism. Karger Publications.

Loechl, C., Ruel, M.T., Pelto, G., Menon, P. 2005. The Use of Operations Research as a Tool for Monitoring and Managing Food-Assisted Maternal/Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) Programs: An Example from Haiti. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division Discussion Paper No. 188. IFPRI: Washington, D.C.

Ruel, M.T., Menon, P., Loechl, C., Pelto, G. 2004. Fortified donated cereal blends improve the nutrient density of traditional complementary foods in Haiti, but iron and zinc gaps remain for infants. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 25 (4): 361-376.

Menon, P., Loechl, C., Ruel, M.T., Pelto, G.. 2004. From Research to Program Design: The Use of Formative Research to Develop a Behavior Change Communication Program to Prevent Malnutrition in Haiti. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division Discussion Paper 170. IFPRI: Washington, D.C.

Ruel, MT, Menon, P. 2002. Child Feeding Practices Are Associated with Child Nutritional Status in Latin America: Innovative Uses of the Demographic and Health Surveys. Journal of Nutrition 2002 132: 1180-1187.

Menon, P., Akhtar, N. Habicht, J.-P. 2002. An ethnographic study of the influences on maternal decision-making about infant feeding practices in rural Bangladesh. Kolsteren, P, et al. (eds). Proceedings of the Colloquium on Promotion of Growth and Development of Children Under-Five. Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.

Ruel, MT, Menon, P. 2002. Creating a Child Feeding Index Using the Demographic and Health Surveys: An example from Latin America. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division Discussion Paper 130. IFPRI: Washington, D.C.

Menon, P, Ruel, MT, Morris