Dr Hibbah Osei-Kwasi emerges as leading public health nutritionist – Dr Hibbah Araba Osei-Kwasi

&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Dr Hibbah Araba Osei-Kwasi has built an impressive international career in public health nutrition&comma; transforming an early ambition to study medicine into a successful path in research&comma; academia and community nutrition&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">She holds a PhD in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Sheffield&comma; a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Rural Development from Ghent University in Belgium&comma; and a Bachelor of Science in Community Nutrition from the University for Development Studies in Ghana&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Her research focuses on nutrition&comma; psychology and public health&comma; particularly dietary practices and their relationship with chronic diseases&period; She also teaches nutrition and public health courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Beyond academia&comma; Dr Osei-Kwasi is the founder and co-director of Sahara Nutrition&comma; a network of nutrition professionals providing evidence-based and sustainable nutrition support to African and Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom and beyond&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Her journey into nutrition began after she was unable to pursue her initial ambition of studying medicine&period; She had planned to complete her degree before returning to university to pursue medical studies&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">However&comma; her four-year experience as a Research Assistant at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research sparked a strong interest in research and ultimately changed the direction of her career&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Dr Osei-Kwasi later applied to universities in the United States and United Kingdom but faced challenges securing funding&period; She eventually discovered opportunities in Europe and moved to Belgium to pursue her master’s degree at Ghent University&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Although she did not initially receive a scholarship&comma; she found ways to finance her move&comma; including selling her car&period; Her academic performance later earned her a monthly stipend after her first semester&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">She went on to graduate from Ghent University with Great Distinction and was named the overall best student in her cohort in 2012&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">She later pursued her PhD at the University of Sheffield&comma; where supportive supervisors helped her gain exposure to an international network of academics and researchers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Today&comma; her work spans research&comma; teaching and community nutrition&comma; contributing to efforts to improve public health through evidence-based nutrition practices&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Dr Osei-Kwasi says her journey has taught her that there are no shortcuts to success&period; She encourages young people to work hard&comma; seek mentorship and ask for help whenever necessary&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">She also advises young professionals not to reject opportunities simply because they appear difficult&comma; stressing that challenges can often be overcome with determination&comma; support and persistence&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><&sol;p>&NewLine;