Sera Young
Associate Professor
Curriculum Vitae
- sera.young@northwestern.edu
- 847 467-2174
- 1819 Hinman Ave Room 105
Research interests
The focus of Dr. Young’s work is on the reduction of maternal and child-undernutrition in the first 1000 days, especially in low-resource settings. Methodologically, she draws on her training in medical anthropology (MA, University of Amsterdam), international nutrition (Current work
My group and I focus on three major areas:
1. Food insecurity. What is the role of food insecurity in adverse maternal and child health and nutritional outcomes, especially in the context of HIV? What are the types of effects,
2. Household-level water insecurity. What dimensions/experiences of water insecurity are universal? How can we best measure these? While we know how to measure household food insecurity, our understanding of both how to measure household level water insecurity and what its consequences are is in its infancy. Our long-term goal is to collaborate to create a cross-culturally valid measure of household water insecurity. In the short term, we are conducting formative work on scale development and validation in Kenya supported by the NIH.
3. Pica (the craving and consumption of non-food items such as earth, charcoal, and ice). Is pica an adaptive response to health challenges? What is the relationship between pica and iron deficiency? In our data from East Africa, North America, and elsewhere, we have long observed that non-food cravings and iron deficiency are associated, but the nature of the relationship is unclear. We are using a variety of in vitro and in vivo animal studies as well as observational studies in human and non- human primates to ascertain the mechanisms underlying this observation, and to test the two major physiological hypotheses about pica: supplementation and detoxification.
Teaching
Water insecurity: anthropological and global health perspectives (Spring 2018)
Ecology of infant feeding (Winter 2018)
Turning your numbers into a story (Fall 2017)
Awards and honors
• 2013 Margaret Mead Award, American Anthropological Association and the
Society for Applied Anthropology
• 2009 Dissertation Award, Society for Medical Anthropology
• 2009 Allan Rosenfield Scholar & New Investigator in Global Health, Global
Health Council
• 2003 Rudolf Virchow Award, Honorable Mention, American Anthropological
Association
• 2002 Christine Wilson Award, American Anthropological Association
Affiliations
Institute for Policy Research; Water Center; Program of African
for Global Studies
Professional Service
• World Food Program: Inter-agency Task Team for Food, Nutrition, and HIV
Member 2014 - Present
• American Society for Nutrition:
Executive Council 2014-2016; Graduate and Professional Education Executive
Committee Member 2006-2008
• Dannon Nutrition Leadership Institute: President 2015-2016; President-elect
2012-2015; Treasurer 2010-2012
• Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition: Vice-President 2012-2014;
National Meeting Program Chair 2010-2012
Select publications
1. Young, S.L., Godfred, B.O., Jamaluddine, Z, Miller, J.D., Frongillo, E., Neilands, T., Collins, S.M., Wutich, A., Jepson, W., Stoler, J., & the HWISE Research Coordination Network. (2019). The Household Water InSecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale: development and validation of a household water insecurity measure for low-income and middle-income countries. BMJ Global Health. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001750
2. Young, S.L. & Miller, J.D. (2019). Medicine Beneath Your Feet: A Biocultural Examination of the Risks and Benefits of Geophagy. Clay and Clay Minerals. doi: 10.1007/s42860-018-0004-6
3. Young, S.L., Collins, S.M., Boateng, G., Neilands, T.B., Jamaluddine, Z., Miller, J.D., Brewis, A., Frongillo, E.A., Jepson, W., Melgar-Quiñonez, H., Schuster, R., Stoler, J.B., Wuitch, A., & HWISE Research Coordination Network. (2019). Development and validation protocol for an instrument to measure household water insecurity across cultures and ecologies: the Household Water InSecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale. BMJ Open. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023558
4. Chung, Y., Bezner Kerr, R., & Young, S.L. (2019). Rethinking the value of unpaid care work: lessons from participatory visual research in central Tanzania. Gender, Place & Culture. doi: 10.1080/0966369X.2018.1556611
5. Brewis, A., Workman, C., Wutich, A., Jepson, W., Young, S.L., & HWISE Research Coordination Network. (2019). Household water insecurity is a plausible driver of food insecurity: Evidence from 27 sites in low- and middle-income countries. American Journal of Human Biology. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23309
6. Miller, J.D., Young, S.L., Boateng, G.O., Oiye, S., & Owino, S. (2019). Greater household food insecurity is associated with lower breast milk intake among infants in western Kenya. Maternal & Child Nutrition. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12862
7. Jepson, W., Budds, J., Eichelberger, L., Harris, L., Norman, E., O’Reilly, K., Pearson, A., Shah, S., Shinn, J., Staddon, C., Stoler, J., Wutich, A., Young, S.L. (2017). Advancing human capabilities for water security: A relational approach. Water Security.
8. Koss, C. A.,** Natureeba, P., Nyafwono, D., Plenty, A., Mwesigwa, J., Nzarubara, B., Clark, T., Ruel, T., Achan, J., Charlebois, E., Cohan, D., Kamya, M., Havlir, D., Young, S.L. (2016).Food Insufficiency is Associated with Lack of Sustained Viral Suppression among HIV-Infected Pregnant and Breastfeeding Ugandan Women. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 71(3) 310-315.
9. Young, S.L., Natamba, B
Johnson, L., Michel, C., Zheng, A.,*
have remained strong because of that food": Acceptability and use of lipid-based nutrient supplements
among pregnant HIV-infected Ugandan women receiving combination antiretroviral therapy. AIDS and
Behavior.
10. Miao, D.,* Young, S.L., & Golden, C.D. (2015) A meta-analysis of pica and micronutrient status. American Journal of Human Biology, in
11. Lin, J.,* Temple, L.,* Trujillo, C., Mejia-Rodriguez, F., Goldman Rosas, L., Fernald, L., & Young, S. L. (2014). Pica during pregnancy among Mexican-born women: a formative study. Maternal and Child Nutrition,
12. Jones, A.D., Ngure, F.M., Pelto, G., Young, S.L. (2013) What are we assessing when we measure food security?: A compendium and review of current metrics. Advances in Nutrition. 4, 481-505,
13. Lin, J.,* Temple, L.,* Trujillo, C., Mejia-Rodriguez, F., Goldman Rosas, L., Fernald, L., & Young, S. L.
(2014). Pica during pregnancy among Mexican-born women: a formative study. Maternal and Child
Nutrition,
14. Tuthill, E.,** McGrath, J., Young, S.L. Commonalities and differences in infant feeding attitudes and
practices in the context of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Metasynthesis. (2013) AIDS Care.
10.1080/09540121.2013.813625
15. Pebsworth, P., Seim, G.,* Huffman, M., Glahn, R., Tako, E., Young, S.L. (2013) Soil consumed by
chacma baboons
447–449.
16. Patil, C. R., Steinmetz, A.R,* Abrams, E.T. and Young, S.L. (2012) Appetite sensations and nausea and
vomiting of pregnancy: An overview of the explanations. Ecology of Food and Nutrition. 51(5), 394–417.
17. Weiser, S.D., Young, S.L., Cohen, C.R., Tsai, A.C., Tien, P.C., Hatcher, A.M., Frongillo, E.A.,
Bangsberg, D.R. (2011) Conceptual framework for understanding the bidirectional links between food
insecurity and HIV/AIDS. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 94(6) 1729S-1739S.
18. Young, S.L., Mbuya, M.M., Chantry, C.J., Geubbels, E., Israel-Ballard, K., Cohan, D. Latham, M.
(2011) Current knowledge and future research on infant feeding in the context of HIV: basic, clinical,
behavioral and programmatic perspectives. Advances in Nutrition 2:225-243.
19. Young, S.L., Sherman, P.W., Lucks, J, Pelto, G. (2011) Why do people eat earth? A test of alternative
hypotheses. Quarterly Review of Biology 86(2):97-120.
20. Young, S.L. (2010) Pica in Pregnancy: New Ideas About An Old Condition. Annual Review of Nutrition
30: 403-422.