The Division of Nutrition, St. John’s Research Institute, is committed to advancing nutrition science and translating robust evidence into practical solutions that improve health across the life course. Established in 1985, the Division integrates human physiology, biochemistry, clinical nutrition, and public health to generate evidence that informs policy, strengthens clinical care, and supports effective nutrition programmes.
Recognized as a Centre of Excellence in human physiological and biochemical research, the Division is distinguished by specialized, cutting-edge infrastructure for precise nutritional and metabolic assessment. Key facilities include the Whole-Body Potassium Counter (WBKC), the first in Asia, along with DXA, PEA POD, and BOD POD for comprehensive body composition assessment. These capabilities are supported by Stable Isotope and Core Biochemistry Laboratories, a dedicated Metabolic Research and Clinical Nutrition Unit, and a Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, enabling a rigorous “cell-to-society” research approach.
The strength of the Division is its contribution to national and global nutrition policy. Our work on human energy, protein, and amino acid requirements has provided core evidence for WHO/FAO guideline development, and has actively contributed to Indian nutrient recommendations, including work informing Indian Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and related nutrition policies. The Division of Nutrition is the only Collaborating Center for Nuclear Techniques in Nutrition for the UN Agency -International Atomic Energy Agency Collaborative (IAEA), Vienna. The Division continues to advance scientific leadership, generating and translating evidence that strengthens nutrition practice and policy in India and worldwide.
Since 2009, the Division has offered its flagship nutrition research training programmes, including the Bangalore Boston Nutrition Course (BBNC) in partnership with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Tufts Medical School, and the NUtrition Research Course to Translate and Utilize REsearch (NURTURE). Together, these courses have trained over 800 professionals, with contributions from national government bodies (NITI Aayog, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Women and Child Development), international organizations such as UNICEF and WHO, leading global universities. Building on the success of NURTURE, a regional training capsule has been established in Assam in collaboration with Assam Agricultural University, with plans to expand similar capacity-building initiatives across other regions. Complementing these training initiatives, the Division currently mentors 17 PhD students across diverse disciplines within nutrition and public health. Through structured mentorship, academic exchange, and professional training, the Division is committed to strengthening national capacity and developing the next generation of leaders in nutrition and public health research.
The Division also delivers clinical nutrition services at St. John’s Medical College Hospital. Services include comprehensive nutritional assessment, individualized diet plans, specialized tube-feed guidance, parenteral nutrition planning, and lifestyle consultation tailored to patient needs.
Dr. Rebecca Kuriyan Raj is a senior clinical nutritionist, researcher, and academic with over 30 years of experience ...
Dr. Arpita Mukhopadhyay is a molecular physiologist and developmental biologist. She was awarded the prestigious DBT/...
Dr. Pratibha Dwarkanath is a senior public health nutrition researcher with over 25 years of experience in advancing ...
Professor Kurpad is the Former Head of the Department of Physiology at St John’s Medical College and Division of Nutr...
Has more than three decades of experience in nutritional research, academic teaching, nutrition counselling, educatio...
I am a physician-scientist with degrees in human nutrition and physiology. I have over 35 years’ experience in teach...
Adjunct Associate Professor, Division of Nutrition
PhD student in Public Health Nutrition under the guidance of Dr. Rebecca Kuriyan Raj
I am a Nutritionist by profession. My skills lie in formulating food products using linear programming in Excel, cond...
Chaitra Anand Kilpady is a PhD Scholar at St. John’s Research Institute with a focus on infant growth and public heal...
I am a final-year PhD Scholar and Research Staff in the Division of Nutrition, SJRI with a research focus on micronut...
A researcher with 15+ years of progressive work experience actively involved in various research projects mainly focu...
I am currently pursuing my PhD in Molecular Physiology Lab (Division of Nutrition) from St. John's Research Institute...
I am a public health nutrition researcher with training in food and nutrition sciences and experience spanning clinic...
Ph.D. Research Scholar at St. John’s Research Institute, Bengaluru, with training in clinical nutrition, research, an...
Thank you for taking the time to read my bio. I am a PhD student at St. John’s Research Institute. I am passionate ab...
PhD student in Public Health Nutrition, working under the guidance of Dr. Rebecca Kuriyan Raj. My research focuses on...
Molecular biologist with hands-on experience in genomic and transcriptomic data analysis, DNA methylation studies, an...
I am a doctoral researcher at the Division of Nutrition, St. John’s Research Institute, with a growing interest in pu...
| S.I. No | Title | Authors | Journal Name | Publication Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The evidence base of supplementary feeding programmes and SBCC interventions on nutritional and behavioural outcomes globally: a scoping review protocol | Neha Gupta, Mrunali Zode , Swati C Nair , Samreen Sharieff , Soli Padi , Priyanka J , Vani Kandpal , Sumathi Swaminathan , Rebecca Kuriyan , Suparna Ghosh Jerath , Bharati Kulkarni , Tanica Lyngdoh ; NECCTAR Trial Collaborating Group | BMJ Open | 2026 |
| 2 | Predicting total body water in infants aged 0.5–24 months and the implications for measuring breast milk intake: a secondary analysis of isotope dilution data. | de Sévaux MA, Kæstel P, Haisma H, da Costa TH, Vázquez-Vázquez A, Thomas T, Biesma R, Kuriyan R, Munthali G, Diana A, Santos IS, Hills AP, Wickramasinghe VP, Ariff S, Lucas MN, Costa CS, Norris SA, Jain V, Mulol H, Feucht U, Thorisdottir B, Thorsdottir I, Davies PS, Loechl CU, Wells JC. | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition1 | 2025 |
| 3 | Exclusive Breastfeeding and Body Composition in Indian Infants: A Prospective Study. | Pai S, Farheen SA, Selvam S, Padmanabha R, Chandrakala BS, Kuriyan R. | Indian Pediatrics | 2025 |
| 4 | Vitamin B12 status and metabolic health in women of reproductive age: Population-based biomarker survey. | Guetterman, H. M., Crider, K. S., Fothergill, A., Bose, B., Johnson, C. B., Jabbar, S., Zhang, M., Pfeiffer, C. M., Rose, C. E., Qi, Y. P., Williams, J. L., Mehta, S., Kuriyan, R., & Finkelstein, J. L. | Clinical Nutrition ESPEN | 2025 |
| 5 | Body cell mass estimation by whole body potassium counter and its association with protein energy wasting in Indian children with chronic kidney disease | Arpana Iyengar, Rebecca Kuriyan, Sumitra Selvam, Kishor G. Bhat, Anil Vasudevan & Anura V. Kurpad | Pediatr Nephrol | 2025 |
| 6 | Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity Patterns and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Urban Indian Children. | Kausar A, Selvam S, Puttaswamy D, Kuriyan R. | Indian Pediatrics | 2025 |
| 7 | Predictive equation derived from 6,497 doubly labelled water measurements enables the detection of erroneous self-reported energy intake. | Bajunaid R, Niu C, Hambly C, Liu Z, Yamada Y, Aleman-Mateo H, Anderson LJ, Arab L, Baddou I, Bandini L, Bedu-Addo K, Blaak EE, Bouten CVC, Brage S, Buchowski MS, Butte NF, Camps SGJA, Casper R, Close GL, Cooper JA, Cooper R, Das SK, Davies PSW, Dabare P, Dugas LR, Eaton S, Ekelund U, Entringer S, Forrester T, Fudge BW, Gillingham M, Goris AH, Gurven M, El Hamdouchi A, Haisma HH, Hoffman D, Hoos MB, Hu S, Joonas N, Joosen AM, Katzmarzyk P, Kimura M, Kraus WE, Kriengsinyos W, Kuriyan R, Kushner RF, Lambert EV, Lanerolle P, Larsson CL, Leonard WR, Lessan N, Löf M, Martin CK, Matsiko E, Medin AC, Morehen JC, Morton JP, Must A, Neuhouser ML, Nicklas TA, Nyström CD, Ojiambo RM, Pietiläinen KH, Pitsiladis YP, Plange-Rhule J, Plasqui G, Prentice RL, Racette SB, Raichlen DA, Ravussin E, Redman LM, Reilly JJ, Reynolds R, Roberts SB, Samaranayakem D, Sardinha LB, Silva AM, Sjödin AM, Stamatiou M, Stice E, Urlacher SS, Van Etten LM, van Mil EGAH, Wilson G, Yanovski JA, Yoshida T, Zhang X, Murphy-Alford AJ, Sinha S, Loechl CU, Luke AH, Pontzer H, Rood J, Sagayama H, Schoeller DA, Westerterp KR, Wong WW, Speakman JR | Nature Food | 2025 |
| 8 | Adjusting for truncated study duration in recurrent event analysis: A weighting approach for clinical trials | Michael Raj A J, Thomas T, Dwarkanath P | PLoS One | 2025 |
| 9 | PRAYAS: individual patient data meta-analysis database for Pooled Research and Analysis for Yielding Anemia-free Solutions in India. | Pandey AK, Sinha AP, Rawat R, et al. | Front Public Health | 2025 |
| 10 | Relationship Between Total 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Parathyroid Hormone Concentrations During Early Gestation in Indian Women | Nandini Chopra ,Fathima Ayoob ,Roopashree ,Shashikala Karanth Manjula Harish ,Annamma Thomas ,Vasista Adiga ,Annapurna Vyakarnam ,Catherine Hawrylowicz ,Anura V. Kurpad and Pratibha Dwarkanath | NUTRIENTS | 2025 |
| 11 | Relationship Between Total 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Parathyroid Hormone Concentrations During Early Gestation in Indian Women. | Chopra, Nandini; Ayoob, Fathima; C, Roopashree; Karanth, Shashikala; Harish, Manjula; Thomas, Annamma; Adiga, Vasista; Vyakarnam, Annapurna; Hawrylowicz, Catherine; Kurpad, Anura V.; Dwarkanath, Pratibha | Nurients | 2025 |
| 12 | Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: two prospective cohort studies of nulliparous women in India and Tanzania | Andrea B Pembe1orcid , Pratibha Dwarkanath , Amani Kikula , John Michael Raj , Nandita Perumal , Heavenlight A Paulo1orcid , Rajalakshmi , Christopher P Duggan , Honorati M Masanja , Nandini Chopra , Mary M Sando , Tinku Thomas , Cara A Yelverton , Alfa Muhihi , Anura V Kurpad , Wafaie W Fawzi , Blair J Wylie , Christopher R Sudfeld | BMJ Glob Health | 2025 |
| 13 | Impact of high- and moderate-protein supplementation on early-life obesity and body composition: A randomized controlled trial in India | Manapurath, R., Chowdhury, R., Upadhyay, R. P., Kurpad, A. V., Bose, B., Devi, S., Dwarkanath, P., Bhandari, N., Taneja, S., & Strand, T. A. | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | 2025 |
| 14 | Impact of linear growth-improving interventions on childhood body composition and overweight/obesity: A randomized controlled trial in India | Manapurath, R., Chowdhury, R., Upadhyay, R. P., Kurpad, A. V., Bose, B., Devi, S., Dwarkanath, P., Bhandari, N., Taneja, S., & Strand, T. A. | The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | 2025 |
| 15 | Effects of millet consumption on metabolic homeostasis (glycemic control and lipid profiles) in adults: A systematic review. | Naik NS, Nadiger N and Mukhopadhyay A | Clinical Research & Reviews | 2025 |
| 16 | Associations of bone health biomarkers and bone mineral density with dietary intakes in vitamin D deficient women: a cross-sectional study | Peris CH, Selvam S, Swaminathan S, Rangarajan R, Raj T, Thankachan P | Scientific Reports | 2025 |
| 17 | Estimation of habitual intake of infrequently consumed nutrients using the mixture distribution method | Smitha Joseph, Santu Ghosh, Sumathi Swaminathan, Tinku Thomas | Frontiers in Nutrition | 2025 |
| 18 | Examining the impact of maternal experiences of domestic violence on adolescent mental health disorders in India | Amritha Gourisankar, Preethi Ravi, Ameeta S Kalokhe, Rachel Waford Hall, Nilakshi Vaidya, Eesha Sharma, Bharath Holla, Debasish Basu, Rose Dawn Bharath, Amit Chakrabarti, Sylvane Desrivieres, Matthew Hickman, Kamakshi Kartik, Krishnaveni Ghattu, Kumaran Kalyanaraman, Rebecca Kuriyan, Pratima Murthy, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Meera Purushottam, Sunita Simon Kurpad, Rajkumar Lenin Singh, Roshan Lourembam Singh, Bhagyalakshmi Nanjayya Subodh, Mireille B Toledano, Vivek Benegal, Gunter Schumann, Kartik Kalyanram, cVEDA Consortium | medRxiv | 2024 |
| 19 | DNA methylation and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. | Nadiger N, Veed JK, Chinya Nataraj P, Mukhopadhyay A | Clinical Epigenetics | 2024 |
No book chapters available.
No books available.
| S.I. No | Title | Authors | Source/Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gut microbiome-based interventions for the management of obesity in children and adolescents aged up to 19 years. | Fahim SM, Huey SL, Palma Molina XE, Agarwal N, Ridwan P, Ji N, Kibbee M, Kuriyan R, Finkelstein JL, Mehta S | Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | 2025 |
| 2 | Precision nutrition-based interventions for the management of obesity in children and adolescents up to the age of 19 years. | Huey SL, Mehta NH, Steinhouse RS, Jin Y, Kibbee M, Kuriyan R, Finkelstein JL, Mehta S. | Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | 2025 |
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Feb 04, 2026
Dear All,We are delighted to announce the commencement of a one-year Certification Course in Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy, an initiative of St.…
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Focus on nutritional needs from infancy through older adulthood, including pregnancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Emphasizing optimal growth, development, health maintenance, and disease prevention across all life stages.
Examineation of maternal and fetal nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and placental biology and their influence on pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and preeclampsia. Integrating early life programming concepts to understand long-term health impacts.
Exploring how nutrition, growth patterns, and environmental exposures during early life shape the risk of chronic diseases later in life. Focusing on prevention through early-life and maternal–child health interventions.
Investigating patterns of growth and development using longitudinal assessments across infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Develop and validate population-specific anthropometric and body composition reference standards to improve nutritional assessment and risk prediction.
Focus on the assessment of energy expenditure using advanced methodologies. Supporting understanding of metabolic health, obesity, and nutrition-related disorders.
Application of stable isotope techniques to assess body composition, energy expenditure, and nutrient metabolism, particularly in infants and children. Enables precise, non-invasive measurements in vulnerable populations.
Addressing the nutritional management of health and disease across the life span through evidence-based medical nutrition therapy. Integrating nutritional physiology with individualized and clinical care approaches.
Strengthening expertise in nutrition research methodologies, including longitudinal studies, randomized controlled trials, and public health nutrition research. Focusing on training and capacity building for impactful nutrition research.
Focus on translating scientific evidence into clinical guidelines, public health programs, and nutrition policy. Aiming to support informed decision-making and improve population health outcomes.
