Associate Professor
St. John's Research Institute, India
Dr. Pratibha Dwarkanath is an Associate Professor in the Division of Nutrition at St John’s Research Institute, Bengaluru, and a public health researcher specializing in maternal and child nutrition. Her research focuses on understanding how maternal modifiable factors, including nutrition and environmental exposures, influence pregnancy outcomes and early childhood growth and development.
Committed to advancing maternal and infant health, Dr. Dwarkanath has led and contributed to a wide range of human studies encompassing observational, interventional, and mechanistic research designs. She has successfully secured funding and delivered projects supported by major National (Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Medical Research) and international agencies (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA; Harvard School of Public Health, USA; Medical Research Council, MRC, UK), serving in leadership roles as Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator, and Co-Investigator.
Her work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, The BMJ, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Currently, she serves as the Principal Investigator for the ICMR Growth Standards Initiative contributing to the establishment of national benchmarks for child growth and health standards. She is also actively involved with the ICMR-Centre for Advanced Research (CAR), by incorporating novel technologies such as use of stable isotopes and AI technology to support risk mitigation of non-communicable diseases in children.
With strong academic credentials, leadership experience, and a collaborative approach, Dr. Dwarkanath is dedicated to driving large-scale community and public health nutrition research that addresses critical knowledge gaps and creates meaningful impact at both scientific and societal levels.