Health Scientist
NIH/ Office of Disease Prevention
Bramaramba (Brama) Kowtha is a Health Scientist with National Institutes of Health’s Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) in Rockville, MD. She is a Registered Dietitian with over 27 years of experience working with federal, state, and local public health programs and policy initiatives in multiple settings. She is responsible for promoting collaborative research projects and leading trans-NIH disease prevention efforts including addressing health disparities and the leading risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Additionally, she contributes to efforts to identify prevention research gaps to facilitate the development of scientific initiatives, workshops, and meetings. Before joining the ODP, Ms. Kowtha worked as a Project Officer at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In this role, she developed funding opportunity announcements, managed grants with academic institutions, and provided guidance to grantees. In addition, as a clinician RDN group leader at HRSA, she collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to educate staff on prevention-focused nutrition topics. Prior to joining HRSA, Ms. Kowtha worked as a Senior Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) where she monitored national child nutrition programs and provided program oversight to state and local governments. She also supported implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act by developing training grants and cooperative agreements. Before joining the federal government, she served in diverse roles across academia, industry, and in nonprofit settings.In her spare time, she volunteers with STEM Education and Research, a group that helps high school and college students learn crucial technical skills in science and technology.