Nutrition Research in Tanzania

Diarrhea kills over 760,000 children each year; it is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five. To address this crisis, for the past 20 years, Dr. Christopher Duggan has been leading clinical trials in the fields of pediatric nutrition, gastroenterology, and global health. In his work as a pediatric gastroenterologist, nutrition physician and Director for the Center for Nutrition at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Duggan evaluates where and how interventions can best improve nutrition and health outcomes for women and children on a large scale in Africa and Asia through research and capacity strengthening with local partners.

Tanzania suffers a high burden of infectious diseases and other illnesses that are generally related to poor underlying nutritional status. Clinicians at the MCRGHP have a long-standing partnership with the leading academic university in Tanzania, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. Dr. Duggan has partnered with Dr. Manji on large research studies and programmatic and training activities, including fostering Tanzanian research capacity. Collaborative interventional studies focus on nutrition, perinatal health outcomes, and infectious diseases. These have included a trial of vitamins among children of HIV-infected women, a trial of zinc and micronutrients in Tanzanian children, and studies on the biomarkers of gut function and predictors of linear growth and neurodevelopment status among young Tanzanian children. These studies address basic and epidemiological aspects of various public health problems, with a focus on nutrition and disease prevention. Additional support has come from the National Institute of Health, the World Health Organization, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Duggan's efforts show how targeted community-based research and educational partnerships can lay the groundwork for systematic improvements in pediatric nutritional health.