Kate Ward

Professor Kate Ward is a Professor of Global Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Southampton, leading the NIHR Global Health Nutrition Research Group. She holds honorary roles at MRC Unit The Gambia and the University of the Witwatersrand. Her research focuses on musculoskeletal health in Sub-Saharan Africa, with emphases on bone health disparities, nutritional interventions, and HIV impacts. Key projects include the MUFASSA study on muscle strength in SSA, the NIHR-funded INPreP program on nutritional interventions, and the FRACTURES-E3 initiative analyzing fracture epidemiology. She has led over £6 million in grants and co-founded the Sub-Saharan Africa Musculoskeletal Network (SAMSON).

• Education: Not explicitly stated in text, inferred from roles.

Research interests span global bone health, HIV-related bone disorders, and public health strategies in low-resource settings. Notable contributions include studies on calcium supplementation effects and fracture service readiness in The Gambia and Zimbabwe. Leadership roles include Bone Research Society president, editorial boards for Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, and advisory roles in international osteoporosis initiatives.

Recent articles highlight inflammatory markers in bone health, HIV-related bone deficits, and vitamin D-parathyroid hormone interactions in adolescents. Awards include the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Fellowship (2023) and leadership in multiple international societies.

• Grants: NIHR Global Health Research Group (£2.3M), MRC programs, Wellcome Trust funding.
• Advising: Supervises PhD students in Human Development & Health. Collaborates with institutions across Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Ghana.

Labs/Teams: Leads SAMSON network (9 institutions), co-directs the Global Health Research Institute at Southampton, and collaborates with the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre.