Karin Lapping, Ph.D., MPH.
Location
Karin W. Lapping, PhD, MPH, is a public health nutrition leader with more than two decades of experience advancing evidence-based nutrition, food systems, and public health strategies. Dr. Lapping’s academic and research focus has been on chronic malnutrition inclusive of epidemiology, policy and programs. She currently serves as Director of the Center for Public Health Practice at the 91AV, where she provides strategic leadership for a multidisciplinary portfolio focused on workforce development, rural health, nutrition, food systems, and climate change.
From 2022–2024, Dr. Lapping served as Nutrition Topic Lead at Gates Ventures, advising across the Gates ecosystem and leading the nutrition portfolio for the Exemplars in Global Health initiative. Her work focused on generating transferable lessons from countries that successfully addressed persistent public health nutrition challenges, with an emphasis on research uptake and policy relevance.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Lapping held senior leadership roles with major international non governmental organizations including FHI 360, FHI Solutions, and Save the Children, where she directed large-scale, multi-country nutrition and health initiatives exceeding $200 million in value. She was Project Director for Alive & Thrive, a flagship global nutrition initiative funded by the Gates Foundation and other donors, overseeing diverse teams across Asia and Africa and contributing to global discourse on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. She also served as Senior Director of Nutrition at Save the Children, where she built and led global nutrition teams, shaped organizational strategy, and contributed to international policy and advocacy efforts.
Dr. Lapping was a founding member of the Society for Implementation Science in Nutrition, a former steering committee member of the UNICEF/WHO Global Breastfeeding Collective, and a frequent advisor to multilateral agencies, foundations, and governments.
Dr. Lapping holds a PhD in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University, an MPH in Global Health from Emory University, and a BA in Religious Studies from Colby College. She has lived and worked extensively in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Africa and the United States.
Credentials
Research
Selected publications
Nguyen TT, Darnell A, Weissman A, Cashin J, Withers M, Mathisen R, Lapping K, Mastro T, Frongillo E. National nutrition strategies that focus on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition in Southeast Asia do not consistently align with regional and international recommendations. Maternal and Child Nutrition 2020;16(S2): e12937.
Bégin F, Lapping K, Clark D, Taqi I, Rudert C, Mathisen R, Stathopoulos Z. Implementation learning from Southeast Asia can inform global and regional efforts to improve breastfeeding policies and programmes. Maternal and Child Nutrition 2019. 12774. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12774.
Frongillo EA, Leroy JL, Lapping K. Perspective: Appropriate Use of Linear Growth Measures to Assess Impact of Interventions on Child Development and Catch-Up Growth. Advances in Nutition 2018;0:1–0; doi: .
Tumilowicz A, Ruel MT, Pelto G, Pelletier DL, Monterrosa E, Lapping K, Kraemer K, De Regil LM, Bergeron G, Arabi M, Neufeld L, Sturke R. Implementation Science in Nutrition: Concepts and Frameworks for an Emerging Field of Science and Practice. Current Developments in Nutrition, October 2018, .
Nguyen TT, Lapping K, Mathisen R, Itzkowitz L, Cashin J, Frongillo EA. Effect of policy reforms on food and nutrition trends in Vietnam and Myanmar from 1960 to 2015. International Congress of Nutrition, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 15-20, 2017.
Cunningham, K, Singh A, Pandey Rana Pooja, Brye L, Gautam B, Lapping K, Alayon S, Underwood C, Klemm, R. Suaahara in Nepal: An at-scale, multi-sectoral nutrition program influences knowledge and practices while enhancing equity. Maternal and Child Nutrition 2017. e12415. 10.1111/mcn.12415.
Lapping K, Frongillo EAF, Menon P, Coates J, Webb P. Organizational factors, planning capacity and integration challenges constrain provincial planning processes for nutrition in decentralizing Vietnam. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 2014: 35(3) 382-391.
Baker J, Sanghvi T, Hajeebhoy N, Martin L, Lapping K. Using an evidence-based approach to design large-scale programs to improve infant and young child feeding. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 2013; (S).
Segre J, Winnard K, Abrha TH, Abebe Y, Shilane D, Lapping K. Willingness to pay for lipid-based nutrient supplements for young children in four urban sites of Ethiopia. Maternal and Child Nutrition 2013; published online Dec 13, 2012. DOI:10.1111/mcn.12022.
Lapping K, Frongillo EA, Studdert LJ, Menon P, Coates J, Webb P. Prospective analysis of the development of the national nutrition agenda in Vietnam from 2006 to 2008. Health Policy and Planning 2012; 27:32-41.
Lapping K, Marsh DR, Rosenbaum J, Swedberg E, Sternin J, Sternin M, Schroeder DG. The positive deviant approach: Challenges and opportunities for the future. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 2002;23 (4 Supplement): 130-137.
Lapping K, Schroeder DG, Marsh DR, Albalak R, Jabarkhil MZ. Comparison of a positive deviance inquiry with a case- control study to identify factors associated with nutritional status among Afghan refugee children in Pakistan. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 2002;23 (4 Supplement): 28-35.
Marsh DR, Sternin M, Khadduri R, Ihsan T, Nazir R, Bari A, Lapping K. Identification of model newborn care practices through a positive deviance inquiry to guide behavior-change interventions in Haripur, Pakistan. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 2002;23 (4 Supplement): 109-118.
Webb P, Lapping K. Are the determinants of malnutrition the same as for “food insecurity” Recent findings from 6 developing countries on the interaction between food and nutrition security. WHO. Tufts University Food Policy and Applied Nutrition Program, Discussion Paper No 6. February 2002.