Mark Manary was educated as a physician and chemical engineer. He moved to Tanzania in 1985 and has been working in Africa ever since then. His professional goal is to ‘fix malnutrition for kids in Africa’. To this end, He developed ready-to-use therapeutic food and used the food in home-based therapy. Ready-to-use therapeutic food is a novel lipid-based food which has been accepted as the standard of care for uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition by the UN agencies. He did the first clinical trial with this food in 2001. He is currently formulating and evaluating new foods designed to supplement pregnant women at risk for poor pregnancy outcomes, and treat acute childhood malnutrition. He also recognizes the importance of work to prevent childhood malnutrition, and to that end is exploring the use of legumes and animal source foods as complementary foods for children 6-24 months in Malawi, Sierra Leone and Ghana. He believes the ultimate solution for malnutrition will incorporate improved agriculture, and hence has a close relationship with USAID’s global food security program.
Mr. Manary continues to explore the basic pathophysiologoy and metabolism of malnutrition, and he is currently looking at the gut microbiota and metabolome in kwashiorkor and marasmus. He loves engaging students and fellows in his work, as they can be inspired to embrace global health issues and bring fresh perspectives to the problems.
In 2004, Mr. Manary formed Project Peanut Butter, an NGO dedicated to food aid product production. Project Peanut Butter makes paste-based foods for children, pregnant women and people with HIV infection. PPB has 4 large factories in Africa, in Malawi, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. Mr. Manary is an endowed professor at Washington University School of Medicine.