I currently hold an Associate Professor position in the Division of Human Nutrition, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU). I am dually registered as dietitian and nutritionist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, which reflect my comprehensive skillset in nutrition.

My field of experience spans almost three decades of engagement in Public Health Nutrition. I have a special interest in Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition, which includes a strong emphasis on “first food environments”. This refers to the contexts in which mothers and caregivers make decisions about infant and young child feeding. It encompasses various stakeholders in healthcare, retail, workplaces, communities, and households which operate within a broader set of overlapping systems. These systems include health, social, education, urban, economic, and political spheres which need to align and support caregivers comprehensively to enforce interventions.

 My work pivots on support for comprehensive policies, programmes, governance, advocacy and leadership interventions delivered by various stakeholders to address childhood malnutrition.

I am a regular invited speaker at various events and attends and presents at international and national conferences. I have published various peer-reviewed articles in accredited journals and chapters in textbooks and is also active in various committees/working groups with a link to social impact, among other, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, Movement for Child Wellbeing Forum.