Meet the speakers – FANUS – IUNS Webinar
Theme: Building Resilient Nutrition and Health Systems: Global Challenges and African Solutions
This year’s IUNS–FANUS Joint Scientific Webinar brings together an exceptional group of global and African leaders in nutrition, public health, food systems and research. The speakers featured below represent a breadth of expertise and experience, offering evidence, insights and practical solutions to strengthen resilient nutrition and health systems. Their contributions will guide meaningful dialogue and support action across the continent and beyond.
Hyun – Sook Kim PhD
Professor Hyun-Sook Kim is a Professor Emeritus at Sookmyung Women’s University, Republic of Korea. Currently she serves as President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS). She obtained her PH.D. degree in the Department of Human Nutrition at the Ohio State University and completed the postdoctoral trainings at OSU Medical Schools in Transplant Immunology Laboratory, and the Department of Biochemistry at Medical College of Pennsylvania, USA. Throughout her 31 years of teaching and researching in Nutritional Immunology and Aging Nutrition she has contributed to the advancement of human health as well as the reinforcement of international collaboration in the field of nutrition. Now her leadership is dedicated to advancing nutritional science to promote and sustain the global health of populations worldwide. Based on her diverse prominent regional and international leadership experiences in Nutrition Science she has prioritized global leadership program for young nutritional scientists and aimed at fostering innovative knowledge application and strengthening the translation of science into practice.
Saskia Osendarp PhD
Saskia Osendarp, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Micronutrient Forum, the central platform for evidence, collaboration and advocacy to improve micronutrient health. The Forum is a group of experts bringing leaders together to help build and strengthen the evidence base on micronutrient deficiencies and interventions, build consensus, and ultimately contribute to the development of stronger policies, programs, and systems to protect the health of vulnerable communities everywhere.
Saskia has 30 years of experience in international nutrition research, micronutrients, undernutrition and public health in both public as well as private sector, and is a visiting associate professor Nutrition and Health at Wageningen University. Dr. Osendarp is a member of the Independent Expert Group for the Global Nutrition Report and is a (co-)author on more than 65 peer-reviewed publications, scientific publications and book-chapters.
She is driven by a passion to strive for more collaboration and consensus to drive progress on pressing public health nutrition issues where progress has been insufficient and where collaboration and evidence can improve efficiency and accelerate progress.
Yunghee Kang PhD
Yunhee Kang, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition at Seoul National University, specializing in global health and nutrition. Prior to joining SNU, she served as an Associate Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she conducted research on maternal and child nutrition, food security, and community-based health programs. Her work focuses on evaluating large-scale nutrition interventions and understanding the social and environmental determinants of malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries. She has collaborated extensively with international organizations to generate evidence that informs policy and strengthens nutrition systems globally.
Henda Jamoussi
Pr. Henda Jamoussi is a Professor of Medicine specializing in Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar. She serves as the Head of the Nutrition-Related Diseases Department at the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INNTA) in Tunis. A leading researcher, she heads the Research Unit “Obesity: Etiopathogenesis, Pathophysiology, and Treatment” (UR18ES01) and is the current President of the Tunisian Association of Nutritional Sciences (ATSN). Her expertise encompasses the management of malnutrition, obesity and diabetes. She is also deeply involved in assessing nutritional status and dietary patterns to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Rym Ben Othman
Dr. Rym Ben Othman is an Associate Professor at the Tunis Institute of Nutrition with clinical expertise in obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and micronutrition. She holds multiple leadership roles in academia, serving as Coordinator of General Dietetics at the Tunis School of Health and Nutrition Endocrinology Coordinator at the Higher Institute of Nursing Sciences. Additionally, she is an expert for INEAS (National Authority for Assessment and Accreditation in Healthcare) working groups, Treasurer of the Tunisian League Against Diabetes, and Vice-Secretary General of the ATSN (Tunisian Association of Nutritional Sciences).
Amos Laar
Amos Laar is a Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of Ghana. His research seeks to transform food environments into systems that prevent disease and promote health, while critically examining how social, commercial, and structural forces shape health outcomes. His extensive scholarly contributions include over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals including The Lancet, Nature Foods, BMJ Global Health, and Food Policy. He is a co-author of the 2025 Lancet Series on Ultra-procssed Foods. He served as President of the African Nutrition Society from 2016 – 2020. In 2019, he was recognized in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology for his contributions to combating diet-related non-communicable diseases in Africa. He is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Jacques Delarue
Professor Jacques Delarue is an MD, PhD, and Professor of Nutrition at Brest University, where he has served since 2000 while also chairing the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University Hospital of Brest. He obtained his medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Tours and completed postdoctoral training at the Institute of Physiology in Lausanne under the supervision of Professor Luc Tappy. His research focuses on the protective effects of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in preventing insulin resistance associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Professor Delarue has held several prominent international leadership roles, including President of the French Nutrition Society, Secretary General of FENS, and President-Elect of IUNS. He has also contributed extensively to Mediterranean diet initiatives and global nutrition conferences.
Alan Jackson CBE
Professor Alan Jackson CBE trained in paediatrics at the University of Cambridge and University College Hospital. He was Director of the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, Jamaica, and is a globally recognised leader in human nutrition and public health. His work directly shaped WHO guidelines on severe childhood malnutrition. As Foundation Chair of the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and Chair for the 2018 report of World Cancer Research Fund, he has advised WHO, FAO and UNICEF on global nutrition policy. He brings deep expertise in linking nutrition, health, and sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries.
Sheila Okoth
“Prof Sheila Okoth, PhD, President African Society of Mycotoxicology
Prof. Okoth holds PhD degree in mycology and food safety from the University of Nairobi. She obtained laboratory training in plant biotechnology and biosafety, mycotoxin analysis and molecular techniques at the Stellenbosch University, South Africa, University of Hertfordshire, UK, the Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA-CNR), Italy, and the International Agricultural Centre, Netherlands. She is a member of the Joint (FAO/WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives, and holds honorary professor position at Agricultural University of Nanjing, China. Prof Okoth is the founder and Laboratory Director of accredited Mycotoxin Laboratory located at the University of Nairobi. She has more than 130 publications in refereed journals, 16 books, book chapters and technical reports.
Lindy Joy Rose
Dr Rose is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Plant Pathology at Stellenbosch University. She obtained her PhD there in 2015, following an MSc in Genetics and undergraduate training in Natural and Agricultural Sciences at University of the Free State. After working as a research associate at Monsanto (now Bayer) in maize breeding, she joined Stellenbosch University in 2010. With 15 years of experience, her research focuses on plant resistance to mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in maize, wheat, sorghum, and barley, integrating molecular approaches and crop management to deliver practical benefits for agriculture and society.
K. R. L. Nyanungo
Kwadzanai Nyanungo is a registered Educational Psychologist under the Zimbabwe Allied Health Practitioners Council, the UK HCPC and a member of the Africa Nutrition Society.
During her civil service career, she coordinated the development of the Zimbabwe School Health Policy, inclusive Education Policy and the Global School Health Survey of 2024.
From 2016 to 2024, she was the national focal point for the Homegrown School Feeding Programme, observed school meals in several other countries, attended all the 11 Africa Day of School Feeding commemorations by the African Union and participated in the 2019, 2021 and 2024 Global School Meals Surveys.
Jacqueline K. Kung’u
Dr Kung’u is a nutrition scientist with over 20 years’ experience working at the interface of research, policy and programs. She works at APHRC as a Research Scientist in the Nutrition and Food Systems Unit where she leads the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Nutrition Research Program. She has been involved in advocacy for policy regulations in the school food environment by engaging policy makers and strengthening the role of micro-and-small enterprises. She has a PhD in international nutrition from Cornell University, a MSc in Applied Human Nutrition and a BSc. in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nairobi.
Francois Stepman
Francois Stepman serves as an Advisor at the Global Forum on Agricultural Innovation and Research (GFAiR), supporting collective actions and partnerships that strengthen agricultural research and innovation for sustainable development. He brings over 30 years of experience in development cooperation, policy advisory, research capacity building, and international partnerships. Francois has worked extensively across Africa and the global south, including roles with UNDP, Médecins Sans Frontières, FARA, and ICARDA. He also co-administers the Platform for African European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD), engaging diverse stakeholders to advance collaborative agricultural research and innovation.
Meet the Moderators – FANUS – IUNS Webinar
Robert Fungo
Robert Fungo is the President, of the Federation of African Nutrition Societies (FANUS), whose vision is to enhance the visibility, relevance and functionality of national nutrition societies, in Africa. Robert is a Researcher and an Academician in the field of nutrition and food technology, working as a Senior Lecturer at Makerere University, Uganda. His professional interest includes understanding the influence of local foods and food systems on the nutrition outcomes and food security of women and children, including school going children in low and middle-income African countries (LMIACs). He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in reputable journals. He is a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences. In February 2019, Robert was recognized by the Ethiopian Government, for supporting the integration of nutrition in the training modules of grassroots Extension Workers and the supporting drafting the Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Strategy for the country.
Habiba Hassan-Wassef
A lifelong international career with the World Health Organization, ended in a senior position at WHO, Geneva. Graduate of the Cairo University Medical School with First Class Honors, she pursued post-graduate studies and research at the University of Paris and at Columbia University, New York, where she was a Whitehall Research Fellow. Dr. Hassan-Wassef’s knowledge and expertise in nutrition, food, and health was further enriched through continued national and regional research projects and expert services to multilateral, bilateral, and regional organizations in the Middle-East, Africa and Europe. Dr. Hassan-Wassef is presently an independent International Expert in Health and Nutrition Policy in Sustainable Development and is a member of scientific committees and policy level think tanks in health, food standards, nutrition, early childhood development; and environmental health. Vice-President of the African Society for Mycotoxicology, she is also a Trustee of the African Nutrition Society and Council Member of the Federation of African Nutrition Societies and is an expert in food and nutrition security to the African Union. Dr. Hassan-Wassef is laureate of national, reginal and international prizes and awards and received the IUNS title of “Living Legend” in 2022.
Francis Bruno Zotor
Professor Francis Bruno Zotor is a Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana. He is a registered public health nutritionist and is a recognized leader spanning over two and a half decades in nutrition across Africa and has been instrumental in driving and promoting the establishment of a strong nutrition profession on the continent, training and research to underpin programme delivery especially across the health and education sectors in Africa. Prof Zotor’s global context of his work has enabled him to work in both developed and developing societies. He serves on a number of international boards in Africa and Globally. Currently, he serves as Vice President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS). In Ghana, he chairs the Food and Drug’s Board’s Technical Advisory Committee on Nutrition.