Justina Serwaah Owusu

Born and raised in Ghana, Justina Serwaah Owusu was the first in her family to come to the United States to pursue a doctoral degree in dietetics and nutrition.

A talented and competitive student, Justina graduated from one of Ghana’s top graduate nutrition programs and was determined to tackle malnutrition challenges in her country. In 2013, she worked as a public health nutritionist at a hospital in Ghana, where she managed malnutrition in children, provided dietary management of chronic disease and trained interns on how to treat individuals at
risk of malnutrition.

Noticing a need to broaden her clinical nutrition skills, Justina joined FIU’s dietetics and nutrition Ph.D. program. Under the mentorship of Dr. Fatma G. Huffman, professor and founding director of the program, Justina completed a dissertation that focused on vitamin D and its impact on reducing advanced glycation end products, a biomarker of complications related to type 2 diabetes.

She also participated in dietetic internships with Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Franco Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Juggling school and internships, Justina maintained a high GPA and was inducted into Sigma Xi and the Golden Key Honor Society. A prolific researcher and scholar, Justina's work on the nutrition of children has been published in two first-authored journal publications.

Today, Justina serves as a faculty member at the University of Ghana, which allows her to combine her interests in teaching, research and mentorship.

By Stephanie Rendon
Senior Account Manager
Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work

Nominated by Fatma Huffman