Dr Karen O’ Callaghan is a Lecturer in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London.

Her research interests lie within the areas of maternal-child nutrition, infant growth and musculoskeletal health. She has extensive expertise in conducting human nutrition studies (intervention and observational) in young children and women during pregnancy in both high- and low-middle income settings.

She holds a PhD in Human Nutrition from University College Cork (UCC), after which she undertook a research fellowship within the Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, where her research was largely dedicated towards investigating the effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on maternal and child health outcomes.

Her research aims to advance understanding of the nutritional requirements for vitamin D in pregnancy and lactation, biological interactions between micronutrients, and bone mineral metabolism during pregnancy, lactation and early childhood. In particular, her research goals encompass a strong dedication towards the advancement and transparent use of nutritional biomarker data to address critical issues in global and public health nutrition.