Mercy E. Sosanya, MSc

PhD candidate
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Texas at Austin

Mercy Sosanya (BSc, MSc) is a student representative of the Nutrition Education and Behavioral Sciences Research Interest Section (RIS) of the American Society for Nutrition. She is a PhD candidate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently a recipient of an International Peace Scholarship of the PEO Foundation, as well as the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future fellowship. Also, she is a fellow of TechWomen, a program of the US Department of State; as well as an international fellow of the American Association of University Women. Mercy previously chaired the Nutrition and Dietetics Department of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi in Nigeria. Mercy's research focuses on investigating the multidimensional determinants of undernutrition and food insecurity, as well as designing culturally appropriate interventions to ameliorate undernutrition in rural communities in Nigeria. Using indigenous foods and resources, she has formulated ready-to-use therapeutic foods and other products, which have been displayed at national educational exhibitions in Nigeria. Mercy has initiated and implemented several initiatives to inspire female involvement in STEM. She has also led community outreaches to improve the nutritional status of women and children in northern Nigeria. She is presently developing a mobile gaming app aimed at improving the infant and young child feeding practices of teenage mothers, and the nutritional status of their children (0 – 2 years) in Nigeria. Mercy is married to Adewole, and they have three daughters, OreOmo, Tobanimi and EniOlufe.

Poster(s):

• (PO04-77-22) Does Agricultural Food Production Reflect the Diversity of Diets in Bauchi, Nigeria?

• (PO20-29-22) Game-Based Intervention to Improve Knowledge on the Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables of In-School Adolescents Attending the International School, Ibadan, Nigeria