Dr. sc. hum. Thalia Sparling
MPH
Scientist (post-doctoral fellow IMMANA program)
Thalia is a postdoctoral fellow with the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she works on evidence synthesis of tools, metrics and methods used to study agriculture to nutrition pathways. She also collaborates with the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health on the Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing Malnutrition (FAARM) project, a clustered randomized field trial investigating the impact of Helen Keller International’s Homestead Food Production program in rural Bangladesh. With FAARM, she conducts implementation research on program delivery, process and impact pathways. Thalia completed her PhD at the University of Heidelberg’s Institute of Public Health in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics unit under the supervision of Dr. Sabine Gabrysch. Her dissertation examined the association of food access, diet and nutrition with depression in women of reproductive age, particularly in Bangladesh. Thalia holds a Master in Public Health from Columbia University, focusing on forced migration and humanitarian assistance, and a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in anthropology and Spanish.
Education
| 2017 | Dr. sc. hum., Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany |
| 2011 | MPH, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, NY |
| 2005 | BA, Smith College, Northampton, MA |
Languages
English, Spanish, basic French
Positions
| 2017-ongoing | Post-doctoral Fellow in the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Action (IMMANA) Program |
| 2014-2017 | Researcher/PhD Candidate: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany |
| 2013 | Consultant: - Writer: United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), New York, NY. - Proposal Manager: International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), New York,NY |
| 2011-2013 | Technical Advisor: South Sudan Guinea Worm Eradication Program and The Carter Center, Central and Eastern Equatoria States, South Sudan |
| 2010 | Project Manager: CPC Learning Network’s Assessment of the Impact of Micro-finance on Children in Post-Tsunami Aceh, Indonesia, Aceh, Indonesia |
| 2010-2011 | Graduate Research Assistant: Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department on Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University |
| 2008-2009 | Foundation Fundraising Assistant: St. Vincent Hospital Foundation, Santa Fe, NM |
| 2007-2008 | Office Manager: Northern New Mexico Charter School, Ojo Caliente, NM |
| 2007 | Manager, Market Research & Competitive Analysis: Dunbar Holdings, Middlebury, VT |
| 2005-2006 | Research Associate: Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence, Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA |
Internships | |
| 2004 | Researcher: Abenaki Community project on legislating tribal recognition in Vermont |
| 2002-2003 | Conference Coordinator/Research Manager: Center for Bioethics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA |
Projects
Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Action (IMMANA) Program
Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing Malnutrition (FAARM)
Full title: Reducing young child undernutrition through an integrated agricultural project with women’s groups: A cluster-randomised trial in rural Bangladesh
Teaching
| 2016 | Rapid Appraisal in Public Health Emergencies, for Public Health Anthropology short course, Master Program, Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg |
| 2015-2016 | Disease Surveillance and Eradication, for Disease Control short course, Master Program, Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg |
| 2014 | Lecture, Guinea Worm Disease and Public Health in South Sudan: lessons from the field, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University |
Publications
Sparling TM, Nesbitt RC, Henschke N, Gabrysch S. Nutrients and perinatal depression: a systematic review. Journal of Nutritional Sciences 2017; 6:e61; doi:10.1017/jns.2017.58
Sparling TM, Henschke N, Nesbitt RC, Gabrysch S. The role of diet and nutritional supplementation in perinatal depression: a systematic review. Matern Child Nutr. 2017;13:e12235. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12235.
Stark L, Kassim N, Sparling T, Buscher D, Yu G, Boothby N. Assessing the impact of microfinance programming on children: an evaluation from post-tsunami Aceh. Disasters 2015: 39(2): 295-315.
Fanzo J, Lachat, C., Sparling, T., Olds, T. The nutrition sensitivity of agriculture and food policies: a summary of eight country case studies. SCN NEWS 2014: (40): 19–25.
Sparling T, Gordon, N. A Two-Country Report on Livelihood Interventions and Child Protection following Disasters. Program on Forced Migration: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 2011.
Ager A, Stark, L., Sparling, T. Rapid Appraisal in Humanitarian Emergencies. Program on Forced Migration: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 2011.
Ager A, Sparling, T., Potts, A. . Participatory Ranking Methodology, A Brief Guide. In: Program on Forced Migration MSoPH, Columbia University, editor. 2010.
Zink S, Weinreib R, Sparling T, Caplan AL. Living donation: focus on public concerns. Clin Transplant 2005: 19(5): 581-585.
