Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Contact Info
615 N. Wolfe Street, Room E2608
Baltimore
Maryland
21205
US
Research Interests
international nutrition; vitamin A; biofortification; supplementation; developmental programming; immune function; child survival
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
PhD
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2011
MHS
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2006
BA
University of Chicago
1998
Overview
The broad goal of my research is to improve maternal, infant, and child health in low- and middle-income countries. There have been tremendous improvements in child survival over the past quarter of a century. Where we have seen the most marked improvements, deaths are increasingly concentrated during the neonatal period, requiring greater consideration of the maternal/infant dyad. In areas that have failed to meet child survival goals, there is a continued need for new public health strategies, scale-up of evidence-based interventions, implementation research, and adequate monitoring. My research spans this full spectrum—focusing primarily on nutrition as the major underlying cause of child deaths—including: a) mechanistic work regarding the complex interplay between nutrition and immune function, b) evaluating public health interventions, and c) informing public health policies and programs for mothers, infants, and children.
Honors & Awards
2020 Recognition for Excellence in Teaching, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2018 Recognition for Excellence in Teaching, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2011 American Society for Nutrition - Student Prize Finalist
2010 Harry D. Kruse Publication Award in Human Nutrition
2008 Procter and Gamble Doctoral Fellowship
2008 Student Assembly Teaching Assistant Recognition Award
2006 Academic Achievement Award, Program in Human Nutrition
2018 Recognition for Excellence in Teaching, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2011 American Society for Nutrition - Student Prize Finalist
2010 Harry D. Kruse Publication Award in Human Nutrition
2008 Procter and Gamble Doctoral Fellowship
2008 Student Assembly Teaching Assistant Recognition Award
2006 Academic Achievement Award, Program in Human Nutrition
Select Publications
Selected first author publications
- Palmer AC, Jobarteh ML, Chipili M, Greene MD, Oxley A, Lietz G, Mwanza R, Haskell MJ. Biofortified and fortified maize consumption reduces prevalence of low milk retinol, but does not increase vitamin A stores of breastfeeding Zambian infants with adequate reserves: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 May 8;113(5):1209-1220.
- Iqbal MS, Palmer AC, Waid J, Rahman SMM, Bulbul MMI, Ahmed T. Nutritional Status Among School-Age Children of Bangladeshi Tea Garden Workers. Food Nutr Bull. 2020 Dec;41(4):424-429.
- Palmer AC, Schulze KJ, Khatry SK, West KP. Prenatal and childhood exposures are associated with thymulin concentrations in young adolescent children in rural Nepal. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2019:1-9.
- Palmer AC, West Jr KP, Dalmiya N, Schultink W. The use and interpretation of serum retinol distributions in evaluating the public health impact of vitamin A programs. Public Health Nutr 2012; 15(7):1201-1215.
- Palmer AC. Nutritionally mediated programming of the developing immune system. Adv Nutr 2011; 2(5):377-395.
Projects
Efficacy of Biofortified Maize to Improve Maternal and Child Vitamin A Status
Arsenic and immune response to influenza vaccination in pregnant women and newborns
Assessing the contribution of fortified sugar to vitamin A intakes and status in Zambia
Protein Plus: Improving infant growth through diet and enteric health
Golden Rice: Harnessing the power of genetic engineering to improve vitamin A nutrition