Support Fiona's Public Health Research Journey

Hi everyone,

I’m Fiona, I'm a functional nutritionist, MS-RDN candidate & graduate student at CUNY Brooklyn College, & a nutrition researcher dedicated to improving public health through culturally relevant nutrition guidelines & chronic disease prevention.

I’m excited to share that my thesis research was accepted to two major public health conferences this year:

• The Global Society on Migration, Ethnicity, Race, & Health (Lisbon, Portugal, Sept 2–5)

• The American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (Washington D.C., Nov 2-5)

These invitations are a dream come true & a powerful opportunity to put underrepresented voices and communities at the center of public health conversations. But I need your help to get there!

My research.

My work explores dietary patterns among Ghanaian immigrants living in NYC, a community that’s often overlooked in public health studies. I used a method called Principal Component Analysis to identify dietary patterns, replicating the approach of the landmark RODAM study (a multi-center study, conducted across rural & urban Ghana & three European cities).

My findings show similar results to those seen in the RODAM study, which is exactly what we hope for in science! It tells us that these patterns are consistent and meaningful, even across continents.

This project is a pilot study, which means it’s small & exploratory by nature… but it plays an important role in justifying the need for more research, particularly in further replicating the RODAM study here in the U.S. with a larger sample. And that matters, because the statistics are jawdropping:

Diabetes is expected to rise by over 140% in sub-Saharan Africa by 2045. Read that again! And yet, there’s a huge gap in research in the research. Without data, guidelines remain Eurocentric and don't reflect diverse populations and bioindividuality.

My goal is to help fill this gap, inform future research & policy, and contribute to laying the foundation for culturally relevant, equitable dietary guidelines.

How you can help.

These conferences are incredible opportunities to share this work, connect with researchers and policymakers, and help shape a more inclusive future for public health… but the financial costs are more than I can carry alone.

Here’s what I’ve already invested:

Lisbon (GSMERH):

$350 registration

$583 airfare

$991 lodging

$1,924 total

Washington D.C. (APHA):

$250 registration (1-day)

Estimated $700 for meals, local travel, & other expenses

My total fundraising goal: $2,700

If you feel moved to support this journey, whether through a donation, a share, or a few kind words, it would mean the world to me!

Thank you in advance for helping me amplify this work.

Yours in health,

Fiona Maria