معرفی
Malek Batal is a Professor at the University of Montreal in both the Faculty of Medicine - Department of Nutrition and the School of Public Health - Department of Social and Preventive Medicine. His research focuses on the environmental, social, economic, and cultural determinants of food choices, particularly among Indigenous populations. He leads the Canada Research Chair in Inequalities in Nutrition and Health (2020-2028) and serves as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
His work bridges nutrition, public health, and food systems, with special emphasis on Indigenous food sovereignty, food insecurity, and health inequalities. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in First Nations communities across Canada, Haiti, and Ecuador, analyzing traditional food systems, ultra-processed food consumption, and the social-ecological pathways to dietary health. His publications highlight collaborations with teams in environmental health, agroecology, and policy development.
Batal's recent articles demonstrate trends in indigenous nutrition (e.g., salmon reintroduction in Okanagan communities), maternal-infant feeding practices in Haiti, and agroecological interventions in Ecuador. He employs mixed methods, including dietary modeling, contaminant analysis, and participatory research, to address systemic inequities in food access and health outcomes.
- Scientific Awards: CIHR Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Nutrition and Health Inequalities (2020-2028), Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
- Research Affiliations: Center for Public Health Research (CReSP), TRANSNUT (WHO Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Transition and Development)
He collaborates with multidisciplinary teams across Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Ecuador, addressing global challenges in food systems and health equity through empirical and policy-oriented research.