Assistant Scientist
icddr,b, Bangladesh
I am Dr. Nurun Nahar Naila, an Assistant Scientist at icddr,b's Nutrition Research Division. After completing my medical degree, I enrolled in the Master of Public Health program at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Each course required copious amounts of idea development, which helped me broaden my perspective and think in a manner other than through the lens of a clinician. After completing graduate school in 2012, I returned to my home country and joined icddr,b in 2013, a globally renowned research organization where I am presently engaged in multiple research projects.
I began my professional career by conducting a community-based nutrition intervention initiative. Through this research, I aimed to investigate maternal perceptions of children's appetite and cues and to develop an appetite tool for malnourished children under the age of five in Bangladesh. It was a huge leap for me to learn about the various aspects of malnutrition at work. In addition, I have published two articles based on this investigation in peer-reviewed journals (Maternal and Child Nutrition and European Journal of Clinical Nutrition) as the first author.
Having learned from an environment like icddr, b, boosted my curiosity even more, and I found out the unique assets distinguishing me from others might be my creative mind and never give up mindset. I devoted myself to the field of nutritional research and continuing to develop newer concepts, and seeking funds. I also shared my work and findings among the scientific community through publications of articles in peer-reviewed journals and mentoring students in the thesis. Till now, I have involved in twelve research projects (six as lead investigator), published three original articles as the first author, co-authored eight articles, and mentored six students in their master’s thesis. While pursuing knowledge in the field of nutrition, I also started teaching students by taking clinical nutrition courses at the James P Grant Public Health School as adjunct faculty.
After that, I learned how to design and conduct clinical trials, as well as establish novel research concepts. I eventually applied for a grant and received a prestigious award from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), a highly competitive funding source. I was given the opportunity to implement my plan to prevent calcium deficiency in Bangladesh's vulnerable population. I discovered through this acceptability test that this rice fortified with slaked lime is highly acceptable among infants and women. The results have been published in 'Food and Nutrition Bulletin'.
However, discovering acceptability alone was insufficient to prevent calcium deficiency. I intended to determine whether the bioavailability of calcium after consuming rice fortified with slaked lime will be significantly elevated. I resumed my search for a grant and received one from Sida. With the assistance of world-renowned scientist Professor Nancy Krebs of the University of Colorado at Denver, I began administering dual tracer calcium isotopes to women and discovered that slaked lime fortified rice has a high bioavailability and can replace one-fifth of the calcium recommendation. The manuscript is currently undergoing peer evaluation at a scholarly journal.
Currently, I am leading a project in which I am conducting an effectiveness evaluation with severely malnourished children of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) in Bangladesh. If this effectiveness trial is successful, the Bangladeshi solution (the development of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) using locally available ingredients) will supplant the expensive RUTF that is currently imported and used in the Rohingya FDMN camps.
I am also a participant in a larger grant in which we investigated the causes of malnutrition in Bangladesh. We discovered that malnourished children have poor gut microbiota, or fewer beneficial microbes in their intestines, which hinders the absorption of nutrients from food. This is a serious issue for the growth and development of these individuals. Our innovation has been published in the esteemed "New England Journal of Nutrition"
In addition, I have begun working with the electro-physiological conduction velocity and ultrasonogram of nerves in malnourished children to determine if their motor and sensory conduction velocity can be altered as a result of nutrition intervention. This initiative was recently awarded by the prestigious Mujib 100 RFWG.
However, as the proverb goes, "the eyes do not see what the mind does not know" - I need to learn more about the ever-evolving issues with malnutrition and nutrition intervention that can be used on the general population.