.jpg "Sarah Lindley McKune, PhD, MPH photo")
Assistant Professor
University of Florida
Dr. Sarah L. McKune is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health and the Center for African Studies, where she advises students from programs across campus. She holds a B.A. in French and Sociology, a Master’s in Public Health, a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology, and was a Post-Doctoral Fellow for a collaborative effort between UF and the CGIAR’s research program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS). She served as the Director of Public Health Programs at the University of Florida from 2013-2016. Dr. McKune’s research seeks to investigate the complex, human and natural system dynamics – such as hygiene, livestock ownership, climate change, race/ethnicity, and gender dynamics - that affect human health outcomes, particularly among pastoral populations and other livestock holding communities in low and middle-income countries. Most recently this work has focused on child growth and nutritional outcomes, however Dr. McKune’s research has also contributed to understandings of HIV/AIDS, maternal health outcomes, Ebola, and COVID-19. Since 2015, she has served as the Human Health and Nutrition Cross Cutting Theme leader for the USAID funded Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems. Geographically, her research has historically focused on the West African Sahel, but also includes Nepal, Haiti, Liberia, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
