Gina Kennedy

Gina Kennedy is Principal Scientist with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. Gina is engaged with the CGIAR Science Program on Better Diets and Nutrition and leading research grants to understand linkages between agriculture, food composition and diet quality. Gina is passionate about food biodiversity and the role that food biodiversity can play in creating healthier food systems that nurture both people and the planet. She has a deep understanding of food-based indicators to measure diet quality and diet diversity, being involved in the validation project for Women’s dietary diversity, which is now an SDG indicator being monitored by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Gina has worked on projects connecting diet diversity, biodiversity and food systems. Gina has served for two terms as the Chair of the IUNS task force on Traditional and Indigenous Peoples Food Systems and Nutrition. Prior to her current position, Gina has worked for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Bioversity International, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Public Health Service of Guinea  and the Tungaru Central Hospital in Kiribati. During her career, she has lived for extending periods in Kiribati, Guinea and Italy and is now based in the United States.   Her areas of interest include diet quality, food biodiversity, diet diversity and food systems. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University, Washington DC, a Master of Public Health from University of Alabama, Birmingham and a PhD in Public Health Nutrition from Wageningen University, Netherlands.