IHN Celebrates Dr. Kim Hekimian’s New Appointment and Welcomes Dr. Moneek Madra as MS Program Director

The Institute of Human Nutrition (IHN) would like to congratulate Kim Hekimian, PhD, and Moneek Madra, PhD on their new appointments at the IHN.  Dr. Hekimian has been appointed as the IHN Barbara Ann Underwood Associate Professor of International Nutrition and Dr. Madra will assume the role as Director of the IHN MS in Human Nutrition program. 

Dr. Kim Hekimian: Advancing Global and Community Nutrition

Dr. Hekimian’s international work has advanced maternal and child nutrition in Armenia, with a particular focus on breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding.  She led a national health education campaign in Armenia in partnership with the Ministry of Health, USAID, and UNICEF to promote exclusive breastfeeding and reduce infant mortality. Her research and policy work have also addressed childhood stunting and anemia, dietary adequacy among women of reproductive age, and culturally appropriate nutrition guidance. Recently, she received a Fulbright Scholar grant to support education and training in the field of nutrition policymaking in Armenia.  

As director of the MS program, Dr. Hekimian supported IHN students on their paths to careers in healthcare, research, law, public health, and more. At IHN and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S), she teaches courses in public health nutrition, global health, and research methods, bringing her field experience directly into the classroom. Her redesign of the VP&S course Research Methods in Global Health into a hybrid format earned her the Columbia University Provost Award for Hybrid Learning Course Redesign. 

Her new appointment recognizes her contributions to international nutrition and gives her the opportunity to deepen that work. We congratulate her on this well-deserved honor and look forward to the continued impact of her work in Armenia and beyond, as well as the insights she will bring back to her students. 

Dr. Moneek Madra: Leading the Next Chapter of the MS Program

Dr. Madra brings a deep connection to the MS program as both an alumna and a faculty member. She earned her MS in Human Nutrition and her PhD in Nutritional and Metabolic Biology at IHN. Before taking on her full-time role as an educator and program leader, she was a researcher who studied the biological factors that contribute to anorexia nervosa and the role of serotonin in gastrointestinal disease. 

As Associate MS Program Director, Dr. Madra has already played a central role in the student experience. She was instrumental in rebuilding and leading two of the program’s core courses, Physiology and Nutrition Through the Life Cycle and Integrative Nutrition and Pathophysiology, and she restructured and refined the master’s thesis process, guiding students from project development through completion. She also created Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine, a new course that launched in spring 2025 and covers six pillars of health: nutrition (including hands-on culinary workshops), physical activity, sleep, stress management, social connection, and risk avoidance. Her work on the course was supported by a 2024 Apgar Academy Research Grant, which recognizes innovative teaching at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). 

Beyond IHN, Dr. Madra has brought nutrition education to students in CUIMC’s other health professions schools. In 2025, she served as faculty lead for CUIMC’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Day. We look forward to the fresh ideas and innovation she will bring to the MS program and to CUIMC as Program Director. 

Please join us in congratulating Drs. Hekimian and Madra on their new roles. Their leadership will continue to strengthen IHN’s work in nutrition research and graduate education.