Wandia Kimita

Masters Student

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Wandia is a registered Masters student at the University of Nairobi pursuing Applied Human Nutrition. She graduated in 2013 with a Bachelors in Biochemistry from the same University.

Wandia’s research interest is in micronutrient status and the risk of infection, particularly in African children. Her research focuses on the relationship between vitamin D and iron status and how these may influence the risk of malaria infection. Under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Atkinson, she is trying to establish whether vitamin D status influences iron status through regulation of the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin, and how this may influence malaria risk. Wandia hopes that the outcome of her work will impact positively on policies in micronutrient supplementation programmes, particularly those targeted to Sub-Saharan Africa where micronutrient deficiencies and infections co-exist.