Martin Bloem

Nutrition Advisor

B. Positions, Scientific Appointments, and Honors

  • Professor, Baltimore, MD, November 2022 – Present; Department of Environmental Health & Engineering and Health Policy and Management/International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  • Nestle’s Creating Shared Value Council Member, November 2023-Present

  • Director/Robert S. Lawrence Professor, Baltimore, MD, November 2018 – November 2022; Center for a Livable Future, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering and Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  • Director/Visiting Professor, Baltimore, MD, December 2017 – November 2018, Center for a Livable Future, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering and Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

  • Senior Nutrition Advisor to the Executive Director/Deputy Executive Director, Rome, Italy, Jan 1, 2013 – Nov 15, 2017, United Nations World Food Program

  • Global Coordinator representing WFP as one of the 11 UN Cosponsor organizations to UNAIDS, Rome, Italy, Jan 1, 2008 – Nov 15, 2017, United Nations World Food Program

  • Chief Nutrition Division, Rome, Italy, Aug 1, 2005 – Dec 1, 2012, United Nations World Food Program

  • Adjunct Associate Professor, Baltimore, MD, July 2005 – December 2017, Departments of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  • Adjunct Associate Professor, Boston, MA, July 2006 – December 2017, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University

  • Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Singapore, January 2003 – July 2005, Helen Keller International

  • Regional Director Asia-Pacific, Jakarta, Singapore, January 1996 – July 2005, Helen Keller International

  • Country Director Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia, August 1994 – December 2002, Helen Keller International

  • Country Director Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Apr 1 – Jul 31, 1994, Helen Keller International

Awards: May 2022: Five-Year Gift Agreement of $40 Million for the Center for a Livable Future from the Lerner Family.

A. Personal Statement

In my career, I have focused on the intersection of climate change, public health, nutrition, and policy, particularly on the impact of poverty on health and food systems. From 2017 to 2022, as the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, my research explored sustainable diets and food systems. I examined the 'planetary health diet,' its effects on global greenhouse gas emissions, and the integration of dietary recommendations with sustainable agricultural practices. This work provided insights into optimizing dietary interventions to enhance global public health and environmental outcomes. Previously, from 2005 to 2017, as United Nations World Food Program's Senior Nutrition Advisor and Global Coordinator at UNAIDS, I concentrated on the nexus between food security, nutrition, and health outcomes in HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and the Humanitarian Field. My research highlighted how improving food security can significantly enhance adherence to and completion of antiretroviral and tuberculosis treatments and how specific nutrition products can save lives in emergency situations. This period was marked by integrated approaches that combined health interventions with nutritional support, optimizing treatment outcomes and overall patient well-being. Earlier, from 1990 to 2005, as HKI’s Regional Director, I established extensive surveillance systems in Bangladesh and Indonesia to evaluate health and food systems interventions. These systems were instrumental in assessing national vitamin A supplementation programs' impact and coverage and informed national and global policy planning. My initial work from 1985 to 1989 in Northeast Thailand provided supporting data on the effects of mild vitamin A deficiency in children, influencing global public health approaches to vitamin A supplementation. I have consistently contributed to the scientific community and policy-making processes throughout these varied roles, ensuring that research translates into practical and actionable policy addressing immediate and long-term public health challenges.