PhD Student
The Ohio State University
Kyra Foster is a first year PhD student and research fellow in The Ohio State University Interdisciplinary Nutrition Program (OSUN). She joined the OSUN program after graduating from the University of Connecticut last spring with her BS in nutritional sciences. While at the University of Connecticut, Kyra was a member of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program, the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program and Dr. Blackman Carr’s R.E.N.E.W. laboratory, where she was introduced to research. As an extension of Dr. Blackman Carr’s research on weight management interventions for ethnically diverse black adults, Kyra received funding for and authored a student research project titled Understanding Obesity: Barriers and Assets to Healthy Eating in Adults Living in Food Deserts. Kyra’s research interest in barriers and assets to healthy eating, especially in nutritionally vulnerable populations, remained consistent as she transitioned into research at the graduate level. She found a great fit with Dr. Gunther’s laboratory that works with underserved populations and investigates behavioral and environmental factors that influence a child’s risk for obesity. Thus far in the OSUN program, Kyra has conducted data analyses from interventional studies focused on food and nutrition security in marginalized populations.