Crystal Karakochuk

Crystal Karakochuk is an Associate Professor in Human Nutrition in the Department of Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Land and Food Systems. She holds the prestigious position of Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Micronutrients and Human Health and serves as an Investigator at both the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and Women's Health Research Institute. Dr. Karakochuk is also a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar, reflecting her significant contributions to health research in British Columbia.

Dr. Karakochuk's primary research focuses on micronutrients and human health, with particular emphasis on evaluating programs and policies for anemia prevention and treatment. Her work examines the risk-benefit profile of micronutrient interventions in children and pregnant people worldwide. Through her research, she brings together clinicians, researchers, and policy makers to advance and apply innovative knowledge in human nutrition. Her laboratory, based at the Food, Nutrition and Health building, features high-throughput infrastructure for precision nutritional hematology research, with randomized controlled trials forming the core of her methodological approach.

Analysis of Dr. Karakochuk's recent publications reveals a strong focus on iron and folate metabolism, anemia diagnostics, and micronutrient supplementation across diverse populations. Her research spans from basic laboratory investigations of biomarkers to large-scale population studies in Canada, Cambodia, and other international settings. She has made significant contributions to understanding how genetic hemoglobin disorders affect nutritional status assessment, and her work on folic acid supplementation in sickle cell disease represents an important clinical application of her research.

• Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Micronutrients and Human Health (2023)
• American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Mead Johnson Award (2023)
• Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award (2019)
• International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI North America) Future Leader Award (2018)
• Early Career Award for Contribution to Alleviation of Micronutrient Malnutrition (2016)

Dr. Karakochuk has successfully secured multiple major research grants, including CIHR Project Grants and funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation to establish the Nutritional Hematology Laboratory at UBC. Her mentorship extends to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, with several trainees actively contributing to her research program. Her laboratory currently includes PhD students, graduate students, and summer research trainees working on various aspects of micronutrient research.