Ben's current research focuses on healthy and sustainable diet choices. He uses statistical and computational modelling to untangle decisions and consequences within the food system. His work spans the food system. Using the analogy of industrial metabolism, Ben is developing a computer simulation to describe how subsidies align with food production in Scotland all the way from agricultural commodities to nutrients. He is also modelling consumption data to understand meal structures and the implications of replacing meat as people become more environmentally conscious about their diet.
Before joining The Rowett, Ben was a research fellow (contractor) at the Fogarty International Center (part of the NIH) in the US for 10 years, and was a consultant for other US institutes (Johns Hopkins, University of Virginia, Penn State). Ben was working on child growth and development in low- and middle-income settings, analysing longitudinal cohort data from an international consortium, MAL-ED. His recent research spans the aetiology and consequences of enteropathogen infection, biomarkers of environmental enteropathy, causes and recovery of growth deficits and patterns of cognitive development. Prior to this, he worked at SAC (now SRUC) modelling endemic livestock diseases. Ben trained as an ecologist and retains an interest in the factors that differentiate disease exposures and outcomes.
Ben's broader interests include understanding how research is turned into policy. As an example, with the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Ben looked at decision-support tools to better articulate the deliberative processes around vaccine introductions and use in low- and middle-income settings.
SMART Vaccines 2.0 decision-support platform: A tool to facilitate and promote priority setting for sustainable vaccination in resource-limited settings
McCormick, B. J., Waiswa, P., Nalwadda, C., Sewankambo, N. K., Knobler, S. L.
Early life experiences and trajectories of cognitive development
McCormick, B. J., Caulfield, L. E., Richard, S. A., Pendergast, L., Seidman, J. C., Maphula, A., Koshy, B., Blacy, L., Roshan, R., Nahar, B., Shrestha, R., Rasheed, M., Svensen, E., Rasmussen, Z., Scharf, R. J., Haque, S., Oria, R., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Acosta, A. M., de Burga, R. R., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., Bose, A., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Steffi Jennifer, M., John, S., Kaki, S., Kang, G., Karunakaran, P., Lazarus, R. P., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Raju, S., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Substantial and sustained reduction in under-5 mortality, diarrhea, and pneumonia in Oshikhandass, Pakistan: Evidence from two longitudinal cohort studies 15 years apart
Hansen, C. L., McCormick, B. J., Azam, S. I., Ahmed, K., Baker, J. M., Hussain, E., Jahan, A., Jamison, A. F., Knobler, S. L., Samji, N., Shah, W. H., Spiro, D. J., Thomas, E. D., Viboud, C., Rasmussen, Z. A., Zaidi, A., Khan, A. A., Jan, A., Beg, F., Wasim, S., Khan, A. W., Ahmed, I., Rahim, M., Mughal, S., Khan, S. B., Mughal, S., Jahan, B., Mughal, M., Keswani, Z., Shah, W., Mukhi, A., Hashmani, F., Sikandar, F., Durrani, S., Goodwin, J., Hulbert, K., Hussain, A., Jibran, M., Hussain, A., Meherbano, , Bano, M., Begum, N., Zadi, M., Sultana, R., Begum, Z., Bano, I., Bano, P., Jan, G., Jabeen, N., Roz, D., Meri, M., Parveen, S., Bano, N., Jan, G., Bano, Z., Bano, M., Nasreen, G., Bano, M., Fatima, K., Bano, I., Roz, D., Nazara, , Ghazala, , Begum, N., Rani, A., Hakeem, M., Rubina, , Sameena, , Jan, Z., Sunaira, , Jan, R.
Metabolic maturation in the first 2 years of life in resource-constrained settings and its association with postnatal growths
Giallourou, N., Fardus-Reid, F., Panic, G., Veselkov, K., McCormick, B. J., Olortegui, M. P., Ahmed, T., Mduma, E., Yori, P. P., Mahfuz, M., Svensen, E., Ahmed, M. M., Colston, J. M., Kosek, M. N., Swann, J. R.
Intestinal permeability and inflammation mediate the association between nutrient density of complementary foods and biochemical measures of micronutrient status in young children: Results from the MAL-ED study
McCormick, B. J., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Lee, G. O., Schulze, K. J., Ross, A. C., Bauck, A., Lima, A. A., MacIel, B. L., Kosek, M. N., Seidman, J. C., Ambikapathi, R., Bose, A., John, S., Kang, G., Turab, A., Mduma, E., Bessong, P., Shrestra, S. K., Ahmed, T., Mahfuz, M., Olortegui, M. P., Bhutta, Z. A., Caulfield, L. E., Acosta, A. M., Burga, R. R. D., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Rasheed, M., Soofi, S., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Steffi Jennifer, M., Kaki, S., Karunakaran, P., Koshy, B., Lazarus, R. P., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Raju, S., Ramachandran, A., Ramadas, R., Ramanujam, K., Roshan, R., Sharma, S. L., Sundaram, S. E., Thomas, R. J., Pan, W. K., Daniel Carreon, J., Charu, V., Doan, V., Graham, J., Hoest, C., Knobler, S., Lang, D. R., McGrath, M., Miller, M. A., Mohale, A., Nayyar, G., Psaki, S., Rasmussen, Z., Richard, S. A., Wang, V., Blank, R., Gottlieb, M., Tountas, K. H., Amour, C., Bayyo, E., Mduma, E. R., Mvungi, R., Nshama, R., Pascal, J., Swema, B. M., Yarrot, L., Shamsir Ahmed, A. M., Haque, R., Hossain, I., Islam, M., Mondal, D., Tofail, F., Chandyo, R. K., Shrestha, P. S., Shrestha, R., Ulak, M., Black, R. E., Checkley, W., Yori, P. P., Catharine Ross, A., Schaefer, B., Simons, S., Pendergast, L., Abreu, C. B., Costa, H., Moura, A. D., Filho, J. Q., Havt, A., Leite, ?. M., Lima, N. L., Lima, I. F., Medeiros, P. H., Moraes, M., Mota, F. S., Oriá, R. B., Quetz, J., Soares, A. M., Mota, R. M., Patil, C. L., Bessong, P., Mahopo, C., Maphula, A., Nyathi, E., Samie, A., Barrett, L., Dillingham, R., Gratz, J., Guerrant, R. L., Houpt, E., Petri, W. A., Platts-Mills, J., Scharf, R., Shrestha, B., Shrestha, S. K., Strand, T., Svensen, E.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 110, no. 4, pp. 1015-1025
Early Life Child Micronutrient Status, Maternal Reasoning, and a Nurturing Household Environment have Persistent Influences on Child Cognitive Development at Age 5 years: Results from MAL-ED
McCormick, B. J., Richard, S. A., Caulfield, L. E., Pendergast, L. L., Seidman, J. C., Koshy, B., Roshan, R., Shrestha, R., Svensen, E., Blacy, L., Rasmussen, Z., Maphula, A., Scharf, R., Nahar, B., Haque, S., Rasheed, M., Oriá, R. B., Rogawski, E. T., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Acosta, A. M., De Burga, R. R., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., Bose, A., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Jennifer, M. S., John, S., Kaki, S., Kang, G., Karunakaran, P., Lazarus, R. P., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Raju, S., Ramachandran, A., Ramadas, R., Ramanujam, K., Sharma, S. L., Sundaram, S. E., Thomas, R. J., Pan, W. K., Ambikapathi, R., Carreon, J. D., Charu, V., Doan, V., Graham, J., Hoest, C., Knobler, S., Lang, D. R., McGrath, M., Miller, M. A., Mohale, A., Nayyar, G., Psaki, S., Wang, V., Blank, R., Gottlieb, M., Tountas, K. H., Amour, C., Bayyo, E., Mduma, E. R., Mvungi, R., Nshama, R., Pascal, J., Swema, B. M., Yarrot, L., Ahmed, T., Ahmed, A. M., Haque, R., Hossain, I., Islam, M., Mahfuz, M., Mondal, D., Tofail, F., Chandyo, R. K., Shrestha, P. S., Ulak, M., Bauck, A., Black, R. E., Checkley, W., Kosek, M. N., Lee, G., Schulze, K., Yori, P. P., Ross, A. C., Schaefer, B., Simons, S., Scott, S. P., Abreu, C. B., Costa, H., Moura, A. D., Filho, J. Q., Havt, A., Leite, ?. M., Lima, A. A., Lima, N. L., Lima, I. F., Maciel, B. L., Medeiros, P. H., Moraes, M., Mota, F. S., Oriá, R. B., Quetz, J., Soares, A. M., Mota, R. M., Patil, C. L., Bessong, P., Mahopo, C., Nyathi, E., Samie, A., Barrett, L., Dillingham, R., Gratz, J., Guerrant, R. L., Houpt, E., Petri, W. A., Platts-Mills, J., Shrestha, B., Shrestha, S. K., Strand, T.
Journal of Nutrition, vol. 149, no. 8, pp. 1460-1469
Effects of Child and Maternal Histo-Blood Group Antigen Status on Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Enteric Infections in Early Childhood
Colston, J. M., Francois, R., Pisanic, N., Peñataro Yori, P., Mccormick, B. J., Olortegui, M. P., Gazi, M. A., Svensen, E., Ahmed, M. M. M., Mduma, E., Liu, J., Houpt, E. R., Klapheke, R., Schwarz, J. W., Atmar, R. L., Black, R. E., Kosek, M. N.
Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 220, no. 1, pp. 151-162
Enteric dysfunction and other factors associated with attained size at 5 years: MAL-ED birth cohort study findings
Richard, S. A., Mccormick, B. J., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Lee, G. O., Seidman, J. C., Mahfuz, M., Ahmed, T., Guerrant, R. L., Petri, W. A., Rogawski, E. T., Houpt, E., Kang, G., Mduma, E., Kosek, M. N., Lima, A. A., Shrestha, S. K., Chandyo, R. K., Bhutta, Z., Bessong, P., Caulfield, L. E.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 110, no. 1, pp. 131-138
Intestinal Permeability and Inflammation Mediate Dietary Intake Associated Risks of Micronutrient Deficiencies at 15 Months: Results from the MAL-ED Study (OR07-04-19)
Caulfield, L. E., McCormick, B., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Lee, G. O., Schulze, K. J., Ross, A. C., Maciel, B., Lima, A. A., Kosek, M.
Current developments in nutrition, vol. 3, no. Suppl 1, pp. 726-726
Nurturing environments and nutrient-rich diets may improve cognitive development: analysis of cognitive trajectories from six to sixty months from the MAL-ED study (OR10-01-19)
McCormick, B., Caulfield, L. E., Richard, S. A., Pendergast, L., Murray-Kolb, L. E., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Current developments in nutrition, vol. 3, no. Supplement 1, pp. 733
DETERMINANTS OF VACCINE COVERAGE IN A COHORT OF CHILDREN IN OSHIKHANDASS, A NORTHERN PAKISTANI VILLAGE
Jamison, A., Thomas, E., Hussain, E., Azam, I., Shah, W., McCormick, B., Rasmussen, Z.
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
Assessing development across cultures: Invariance of the Bayley-III scales across seven international MAL-ED sites
Pendergast, L. L., Schaefer, B. A., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Svensen, E., Shrestha, R., Rasheed, M. A., Scharf, R. J., Kosek, M., Vasquez, A. O., Maphula, A., Costa, H., Rasmussen, Z. A., Yousafzai, A., Tofail, F., Seidman, J. C., Acosta, A. M., de Burga, R. R., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Rasheed, M., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Ammu, G., Babji, S., Bose, A., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Jennifer, M. S., John, S., Kaki, S., Kang, G., Karunakaran, P., Koshy, B., Lazarus, R. P., Muliyil, J., Ragasudha, P., Raghava, M. V., Raju, S., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
School Psychology Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 604-614
Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Cryptosporidiosis in Children from 8 Low-income Sites: Results from the MAL-ED Study
Korpe, P. S., Valencia, C., Haque, R., Mahfuz, M., McGrath, M., Houpt, E., Kosek, M., McCormick, B. J., Penataro Yori, P., Babji, S., Kang, G., Lang, D., Gottlieb, M., Samie, A., Bessong, P., Faruque, A. S., Mduma, E., Nshama, R., Havt, A., Lima, I. F., Lima, A. A., Bodhidatta, L., Shreshtha, A., Petri, W. A., Ahmed, T., Duggal, P.
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 67, no. 11, pp. 1660-1669
Use of quantitative molecular diagnostic methods to assess the aetiology, burden, and clinical characteristics of diarrhoea in children in low-resource settings: a reanalysis of the MAL-ED cohort study
Platts-Mills, J. A., Liu, J., Rogawski, E. T., Kabir, F., Lertsethtakarn, P., Siguas, M., Khan, S. S., Praharaj, I., Murei, A., Nshama, R., Mujaga, B., Havt, A., Maciel, I. A., McMurry, T. L., Operario, D. J., Taniuchi, M., Gratz, J., Stroup, S. E., Roberts, J. H., Kalam, A., Aziz, F., Qureshi, S., Islam, M. O., Sakpaisal, P., Silapong, S., Yori, P. P., Rajendiran, R., Benny, B., McGrath, M., McCormick, B. J., Seidman, J. C., Lang, D., Gottlieb, M., Guerrant, R. L., Lima, A. A., Leite, J. P., Samie, A., Bessong, P. O., Page, N., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C., Shrestha, S., Kiwelu, I., Mduma, E. R., Iqbal, N. T., Bhutta, Z. A., Ahmed, T., Haque, R., Kang, G., Kosek, M. N., MAL-ED Network Investigators
The Lancet Global Health, vol. 6, no. 12, pp. e1309-e1318
Use of quantitative molecular diagnostic methods to investigate the effect of enteropathogen infections on linear growth in children in low-resource settings: longitudinal analysis of results from the MAL-ED cohort study
Rogawski, E. T., Liu, J., Platts-Mills, J. A., Kabir, F., Lertsethtakarn, P., Siguas, M., Khan, S. S., Praharaj, I., Murei, A., Nshama, R., Mujaga, B., Havt, A., Maciel, I. A., Operario, D. J., Taniuchi, M., Gratz, J., Stroup, S. E., Roberts, J. H., Kalam, A., Aziz, F., Qureshi, S., Islam, M. O., Sakpaisal, P., Silapong, S., Yori, P. P., Rajendiran, R., Benny, B., McGrath, M., Seidman, J. C., Lang, D., Gottlieb, M., Guerrant, R. L., Lima, A. A., Leite, J. P., Samie, A., Bessong, P. O., Page, N., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C., Shrestha, S., Kiwelu, I., Mduma, E. R., Iqbal, N. T., Bhutta, Z. A., Ahmed, T., Haque, R., Kang, G., Kosek, M. N., Houpt, E. R., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
The Lancet Global Health, vol. 6, no. 12, pp. e1319-e1328
Early childhood cognitive development is affected by interactions among illness, diet, enteropathogens and the home environment: Findings from the MAL-ED birth cohort study
Murray-Kolb, L. E., Acosta, A. M., De Burga, R. R., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Rasheed, M., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., Bose, A., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Jennifer, M. S., John, S., Kaki, S., Kang, G., Karunakaran, P., Koshy, B., Lazarus, R. P., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Raju, S., Ramachandran, A., Ramadas, R., Ramanujam, K., Bose, A., Roshan, R., Sharma, S. L., Sundaram, S. E., Thomas, R. J., Pan, W. K., Ambikapathi, R., Carreon, J. D., Charu, V., Doan, V., Graham, J., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Subclinical Infection and Coinfections and Impaired Child Growth in the MAL-ED Cohort Study
Lima, A. A., Soares, A. M., Filho, J. Q., Havt, A., Lima, I. F., Lima, N. L., Abreu, C. B., Francisco, S., Mota, R. M., Pan, W. K., Troeger, C., Medeiros, P. H., Veras, H. N., Prata, M. A., McCormick, B. J., McGrath, M., Rogawski, E. T., Houpt, E. R., Platts-Mills, J. A., Gratz, J., Samie, A., Bessong, P., Babji, S., Kang, G., Qureshi, S., Shakoor, S., Bhutta, Z. A., Haque, R., Ahmed, T., Mduma, E. R., Svensen, E., Kosek, M., Yori, P. P., Bodhidatta, L., Jasmin, S., Mason, C. J., Lang, D., Gottlieb, M., Guerrant, R. L.
Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 325-333
A longitudinal study of household water, sanitation, and hygiene characteristics and environmental enteropathy markers in children less than 24 months in Iquitos, Peru
Exum, N. G., Lee, G. O., Olórtegui, M. P., Yori, P. P., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Colston, J. M., Schwab, K. J., McCormick, B. J., Kosek, M. N.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 98, no. 4, pp. 995-1004
Relationships among common illness symptoms and the protective effect of breastfeeding in early childhood in MAL-ED: An eight-country cohort study
Richard, S. A., McCormick, B. J., Seidman, J. C., Rasmussen, Z., Kosek, M. N., Rogawski, E. T., Petri, W., Bose, A., Mduma, E., Maciel, B. L., Chandyo, R. K., Bhutta, Z., Turab, A., Bessong, P., Mahfuz, M., Caulfield, L. E., Acosta, A. M., De Burga, R. R., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Qureshi, S., Rasheed, M., Soofi, S., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Jennifer, M. S., John, S., Kaki, S., Kang, G., Karunakaran, P., Koshy, B., Lazarus, R. P., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Raju, S., Ramachandran, A., Ramadas, R., Ramanujam, K., MAL-ED Network Investigators
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 98, no. 3, pp. 904-912
Relationship between growth and illness, enteropathogens and dietary intakes in the first 2 years of life: Findings from the MAL-ED birth cohort study
Acosta, A. M., De Burga, R. R., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Rasheed, M., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., Bose, A., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Steffi Jennifer, M., John, S., Kaki, S., Kang, G., Karunakaran, P., Koshy, B., Lazarus, R. P., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Raju, S., Ramachandran, A., Ramadas, R., Ramanujam, K., Bose, A., Roshan, R., Sharma, S. L., Shanmuga Sundaram, E., Thomas, R. J., Pan, W. K., Ambikapathi, R., Daniel Carreon, J., Charu, V., Doan, V., Graham, J., Hoest, C., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Epidemiology of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli infections and associated outcomes in the MAL-ED birth cohort
Rogawski, E. T., Guerrant, R. L., Havt, A., Lima, I. F., Medeiros, P. H., Seidman, J. C., McCormick, B. J., Babji, S., Hariraju, D., Bodhidatta, L., Shrestha, J., Anania, J., Maro, A., Samie, A., Yori, P. P., Qureshi, S., Mahfuz, M., Bessong, P. O., Kosek, M. N., Ahmed, T., Bhutta, Z. A., Lang, D. R., Gottlieb, M., Houpt, E. R., Lima, A. A., MAL-ED Network Investigators
