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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The University of Bonn has once again recruited an exceptional talent: Ina Danquah has been appointed as the new Hertz-Chair “Innovation for Planetary Health” at the “University of Excellence Bonn”. The Hertz-Chair combines various disciplines in a unique manner. Danquah is a nutritional scientist and expert in public health and epidemiology. Her Hertz-Chair contributes to the Transdisciplinary Research Area “Sustainable Futures”. In addition, Danquah is one of the three directors of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn.
The Hertz Chair for “Innovation for Planetary Health” integrates various concepts for the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “Transdisciplinary approaches constitute an indispensable part of climate and health research,” says Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah, who started her work in the Transdisciplinary Research Area “Sustainable Futures” at the University of Bonn at the beginning of October. Planetary health describes a holistic concept that focuses on the interdependencies between a healthy environment, human health and the health of all living creatures on our planet. The researcher is also convinced that “effective and acceptable strategies to combat the impacts of climate change need to include participative elements for all actors involved.”
“Appointing candidates of international repute is an integral part of our Excellence Strategy. Our Hertz chairs promote cross-disciplinary research on major challenges of our time, including the megatrend of planetary health,” says Professor Michael Hoch, Rector of the University of Bonn. “I’m therefore delighted that we were able to attract an outstanding scientist like Ina Danquah who enjoys broad recognition in this vast field. Fortunately for us, she will not only be making essential contributions to research as a member of the Sustainable Futures TRA, but will also act as a director on the board of our Center for Development Research, one of the world’s leading think tanks based in the ‘UN city’ of Bonn.”
The new Hertz Chair has been carrying out research into dietary behavior and its links to diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. “In my work as a nutritional epidemiologist, I have observed that rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa are still plagued by undernutrition and infectious diseases,” says Ina Danquah. Women of child-bearing age and children under the age of five are particularly vulnerable. At the same time, the researcher has observed that there has been a sharp increase in the number of overweight people and chronic illnesses in cities and these numbers will continue to grow.
Ina Danquah: “These problems are very closely linked to the climate crisis.” Harvest failures lead to the loss of essential nutrients in the main food crops and this only exacerbates the issue of malnutrition. At the same time, modern diets with higher proportions of animal-based and highly processed foods are adding to the burden on planetary systems. These diets are not only unhealthy but are also associated with higher greenhouse gas emissions, greater consumption of water and land use, increased inputs of nitrogen and phosphate and biodiversity loss. “I would like to make a contribution to balancing the goals of prosperity, health and restoring planetary systems so that our subsequent generations can live fulfilling lives on a healthy planet,” says the researcher.
As the Hertz-Chair for “Innovation for Planetary Health,” Danquah will set-up a multi-center, prospective cohort study in sub-Saharan Africa into the interactions between climate change, nutrition and health. In addition, she – who worked for the last few years at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HGIH) – will establish a global network of intervention studies at the University of Bonn for climate change adaptation and mitigation. The projects will mainly be carried out in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Kenya, as well as in Europe. “The University of Bonn provides an outstanding environment for overcoming the major challenges we face in the areas of climate change and health with an interdisciplinary approach,” says Ina Danquah. The mother of three children is also very fond of the city and local region: “Bonn is a multicultural, cosmopolitan city that is steeped in history and offers a diverse range of culinary delights, while the banks of the Rhine are ideal for enjoying long runs.”
Profile:
Ina Danquah, born in 1982 in Potsdam, studied nutrition science at the University of Potsdam and University of Ghana in Accra. After receiving her doctorate at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi (Ghana), she completed a Master of Science in Epidemiology at the University of London and then qualified as a professor of epidemiology and public health at Charité. In 2019, she was appointed the head of the research group “Climate Change, Nutrition and Health” at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HGIH) at the University of Heidelberg, where she later accepted a position as a W1 professor in “Research into the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources” in 2020. Ina Danquah has held the position of Hertz Chair for “Innovation for Planetary Health” since October and is one of the three directors of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn. The researcher has received multiple awards, including the Robert Bosch Junior Professorship in 2019, the African Achievement Award from the African German Network Association, and the Ernst Reuter Dissertation Prize from the Free University of Berlin.
Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah
Hertz Chair for “Innovation for Planetary Health”
in the Transdisciplinary Research Area “Sustainable Futures”
Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn
Tel. +49-228-73-1970
E-mail: danquah@uni-bonn.de
https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/danquah
Ina Danquah holds the new Hertz Professorship "Innovation for Planetary Health" at the University of ...
Photo: Gregor Hübl/University of Bonn
Ina Danquah holds the new Hertz Professorship "Innovation for Planetary Health" at the University of ...
Photo: Gregor Hübl/Uni Bonn
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