Marie T. Ruel

Marie T. Ruel is a Senior Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). She previously served as Director of IFPRI's Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division from 2004 to 2023, after joining IFPRI in 1996 as a Research Fellow. Dr. Ruel has led major initiatives including the Multi-Country Program on Challenges to Urban Food and Nutrition, the Global Regional Project on Diet Quality and Diet Changes of the Poor, and the development of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH).

Dr. Ruel earned her PhD in International Nutrition from Cornell University and a Master's degree in Health Sciences from Laval University in Canada. Her extensive international experience includes serving as head of the Nutrition and Health Division at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama/Pan American Health Organization (INCAP/PAHO) in Guatemala, where she worked for six years.

With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Ruel's research focuses on policies and programs to alleviate poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition in developing countries. Her work spans maternal and child nutrition, food-based strategies to improve diet quality and micronutrient nutrition, urban livelihoods, food security, and the development of indicators to measure child feeding practices and food security. She has published extensively in nutrition and epidemiology journals, with numerous 2025 publications examining wasting prevention, growth monitoring, and nutrition interventions in low-income countries.

Dr. Ruel's recent articles demonstrate a strong focus on evidence-based approaches to child malnutrition, with particular emphasis on wasting prevention, growth monitoring effectiveness, and multisectoral programming. Her work combines rigorous epidemiological methods with practical program implementation considerations, addressing critical gaps in nutrition science and policy.

• Kellogg Prize for Lifetime Achievements in International Nutrition from the American Society of Nutrition

Dr. Ruel has served on various international expert committees, including the National Academy of Sciences, the International Zinc in Nutrition Consultative Group, and the Micronutrient Forum. Her research has been supported by major international organizations and has informed global nutrition policy and programming. She has mentored numerous researchers and contributed to capacity building in nutrition science worldwide.

Currently, Dr. Ruel leads research evaluating integrated, multisectoral development programs across agriculture, social protection, and health sectors, with a focus on their role in reducing maternal and child malnutrition globally. Her work continues to shape the evidence base for nutrition interventions in resource-limited settings.