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 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, . 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 to better articulate the deliberative processes around vaccine introductions and use in low- and middle-income settings.
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
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[OPEN ACCESS]
[ONLINE]
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
BMJ Global Health, vol. 2, no. 4, e000370
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Bayesian Network analysis of piglet scours
McCormick, B. J., Van Breda, L. K., Ward, M. P.
Scientific Reports, vol. 7, no. 1, 6202
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Childhood stunting in relation to the pre- and postnatal environment during the first 2 years of life: The MAL-ED longitudinal birth cohort study
MAL-ED Network Investigators, McCormick, B. J.
PLoS Medicine, vol. 14, no. 10, pp. e1002408
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
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
Age and Sex Normalization of Intestinal Permeability Measures for the Improved Assessment of Enteropathy in Infancy and Early Childhood: Results from the MAL-ED Study
Kosek, M. N., Lee, G. O., Guerrant, R. L., Haque, R., Kang, G., Ahmed, T., Bessong, P., Ali, A., Mduma, E., Peñataro Yori, P., Faubion, W. A., Lima, A. A., Paredes Olortegui, M., Mason, C., Babji, S., Singh, R., Qureshi, S., Kosek, P. S., Samie, A., Pascal, J., Shrestha, S., McCormick, B. J., Seidman, J. C., Lang, D. R., Zaidi, A., Caulfield, L. E., Gottlieb, M.
Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 31-39
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Causal Pathways from Enteropathogens to Environmental Enteropathy: Findings from the MAL-ED Birth Cohort Study
Kosek, M. N., Ahmed, T., Bhutta, Z. A., Caulfield, L., Guerrant, R. L., Houpt, E., Kang, G., Lee, G., Lima, A. A., McCormick, B. J., Platts-Mills, J., Seidman, J. C., Blank, R. R., Gottlieb, M., Knobler, S. L., Lang, D. R., Miller, M. A., Tountas, K. H., Checkley, W., Mason, C. J., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Petri, W. A., Bessong, P., Haque, R., John, S., Mduma, E. R., Oriá, R. B., Shrestha, P. S., Shrestha, S. K., Svensen, E., Zaidi, A. K., Abreu, C. B., Acosta, A. M., Ahmed, I., Shamsir Ahmed, A. M., Ali, A., Ambikapathi, R., Barrett, L., Bauck, A., Bayyo, E., Bodhidatta, L., Bose, A., Daniel Carreon, J., Chandyo, R. K., Charu, V., Costa, H., Dillingham, R., Di Moura, A., Doan, V., Filho, J. Q., MAL-ED Network Investigators
EBioMedicine, vol. 18, pp. 109-117
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Examining the relationship between socioeconomic status, WASH practices and wasting
Raihan, M. J., Farzana, F. D., Sultana, S., Haque, M. A., Rahman, A. S., Waid, J. L., McCormick, B., Choudhury, N., Ahmed, T.
PloS ONE, vol. 12, no. 3, e0172134
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Burden of common illnesses and the protective effect of breastfeeding in early childhood in MAL-ED: An eight-site cohort study
McCormick, B., Rasmussen, Z., Kosek, M., Petri, W. A., Rogawski, L., Bose, A., Mduma, E., Maciel, B. L. L., Chandyo, R. K., Bhutta, Z. A.
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
Dynamics and trends in fecal biomarkers of gut function in children from 1-24 months in the MAL-ED study
McCormick, B. J., Lee, G. O., Seidman, J. C., Haque, R., Mondal, D., Quetz, J., Lima, A. A., Babji, S., Kang, G., Shrestha, S. K., Mason, C. J., Qureshi, S., Bhutta, Z. A., Olortegui, M. P., Yori, P. P., Samie, A., Bessong, P., Amour, C., Mduma, E., Patil, C. L., Guerrant, R. L., Lang, D. R., Gottlieb, M., Caulfield, L. E., Kosek, M. N.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 96, no. 2, pp. 465-472
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Infant nutritional status, feeding practices, enteropathogen exposure, socioeconomic status, and illness are associated with gut barrier function as assessed by the lactulose mannitol test in the MAL-ED birth cohort
Lee, G. O., McCormick, B. J., Seidman, J. C., Kosek, M. N., Haque, R., Olortegui, M. P., Lima, A. A., Bhutta, Z. A., Kang, G., Samie, A., Amour, C., Mason, C. J., Ahmed, T., Yori, P. P., Oliveira, D. B., Alam, D., Babji, S., Bessong, P., Mduma, E., Shrestha, S. K., Ambikapathi, R., Lang, D. R., Gottlieb, M., Guerrant, R. L., Caulfield, L. E.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 97, no. 1, pp. 281-290
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Epidemiology and Impact of Campylobacter Infection in Children in 8 Low-Resource Settings: Results from the MAL-ED Study
Amour, C., Gratz, J., Mduma, E. R., Svensen, E., Rogawski, E. T., McGrath, M., Seidman, J. C., McCormick, B. J., Shrestha, S., Samie, A., Mahfuz, M., Qureshi, S., Hotwani, A., Babji, S., Trigoso, D. R., Lima, A. A., Bodhidatta, L., Bessong, P., Ahmed, T., Shakoor, S., Kang, G., Kosek, M. N., Guerrant, R. L., Lang, D. R., Gottlieb, M., Houpt, E. R., Platts-Mills, J. A., Acosta, A. M., de Burga, R. R., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Salas, M. S., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Rasheed, M., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Zaidi, A. K., Mason, C. J., Bose, A., George, A. T., Hariraju, D., Jennifer, M. S., John, S., Kaki, S., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 63, no. 9, pp. 1171-1179
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
How multiple episodes of exclusive breastfeeding impact estimates of exclusive breastfeeding duration: report from the eight-site MAL-ED birth cohort study
Ambikapathi, R., Kosek, M. N., Lee, G. O., Mahopo, C., Patil, C. L., Maciel, B. L., Turab, A., Islam, M. M., Ulak, M., Bose, A., Paredes Olortegui, M., Pendergast, L. L., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Lang, D., McCormick, B. J., Caulfield, L. E.
Maternal and Child Nutrition, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 740-756
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Diarrheal disease and enteric infections in lmic communities: How big is the problem
McCormick, B. J., Lang, D. R.
Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines, vol. 2, no. 1, 11
Contributions to Journals: Review articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Norovirus infection and acquired immunity in 8 countries: Results from the MAL-ED study
Rouhani, S., Peñataro Yori, P., Paredes Olortegui, M., Siguas Salas, M., Rengifo Trigoso, D., Mondal, D., Bodhidatta, L., Platts-Mills, J., Samie, A., Kabir, F., Lima, A. A., Babji, S., Mason, C. J., Kalam, A., Bessong, P., Ahmed, T., Mduma, E., Bhutta, Z. A., Lima, I., Ramdass, R., Lang, D., George, A., Zaidi, A. K., Kang, G., Houpt, E., Kosek, M. N., Brett, N., 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., Turab, A., Bose, A., Hariraju, D., Jennifer, M. S., John, S., Kaki, S., Karunakaran, P., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 62, no. 10, pp. 1210-1217
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Beyond crystal balls: Crosscutting solutions in global health to prepare for an unpredictable future
Alonso, W. J., McCormick, B. J. J., Miller, M. A., Schuck-Paim, C., Asrar, G. R.
BMC Public Health, vol. 15, no. 1, 955
Contributions to Journals: Review articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Pathogen-specific burdens of community diarrhoea in developing countries: A multisite birth cohort study (MAL-ED)
Platts-Mills, J. A., Babji, S., Bodhidatta, L., Gratz, J., Haque, R., Havt, A., McCormick, B. J., McGrath, M., Olortegui, M. P., Samie, A., Shakoor, S., Mondal, D., Lima, I. F., Hariraju, D., Rayamajhi, B. B., Qureshi, S., Kabir, F., Yori, P. P., Mufamadi, B., Amour, C., Carreon, J. D., Richard, S. A., Lang, D., Bessong, P., Mduma, E., Ahmed, T., Lima, A. A., Mason, C. J., Zaidi, A. K., Bhutta, Z. A., Kosek, M., Guerrant, R. L., Gottlieb, M., Miller, M., Kang, G., Houpt, E. R., Chavez, C. B., Trigoso, D. R., Flores, J. T., Vasquez, A. O., Pinedo, S. R., Acosta, A. M., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Rasheed, M., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Yousafzai, A. K., Bose, A., MAL-ED Network Investigators
The Lancet Global Health, vol. 3, no. 9, pp. e564-e575
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
A Holistic Approach to Climate and Health Research: Respiratory and Infectious Diseases
Asrar, G. R., Alonso, W. J., McCormick, B., Schuck-Paim, C., Miller, M.
AGUFM, A31K-04
Contributions to Journals: Articles
Disease surveillance methods used in the 8-site MAL-ED cohort study
Richard, S. A., Barrett, L. J., Guerrant, R. L., Checkley, W., Miller, M. A., 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., Shanmuga Sundaram, E., Thomas, R. J., Pan, W. K., Ambikapathi, R., Carreon, J. D., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 59, pp. S220-S224
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Methods of analysis of enteropathogen infection in the MAL-ED cohort study
Platts-Mills, J. A., McCormick, B. J., Kosek, M., Pan, W. K., Checkley, W., Houpt, E. R., 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., Shanmuga Sundaram, E., Thomas, R. J., Pan, W. K., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 59, pp. S233-S238
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Modeling environmental influences on child growth in the MAL-ED cohort study: Opportunities and challenges
Richard, S. A., McCormick, B. J., Miller, M. A., Caulfield, L. E., Checkley, W., Acosta, A. M., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Shakoor', S., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Yousafzai, A. K., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., Bose, A., John, S., Kang, G., Kurien, B., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Ramachandran, A., Rose, A., Pan, W., Ambikapathi, R., Carreon, D., Charu, V., Dabo, L., Doan, V., Graham, J., Hoest, C., Knobler, S., Lang, D., McGrath, M., Mohale, A., Nayyar, G., Psaki, S., Rasmussen, Z., Seidman, J., Wang, V., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 59, pp. S255-S260
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
The MAL-ED cohort study: Methods and lessons learned when assessing early child development and caregiving mediators in infants and young children in 8 low-and middle-income countries
Murray-Kolb, L. E., Rasmussen, Z. A., Scharf, R. J., Rasheed, M. A., Svensen, E., Seidman, J. C., Tofail, F., Koshy, B., Shrestha, R., Maphula, A., Vasquez, A. O., Da Costa, H. P., Yousafzai, A. K., Oria, R. B., Roshan, R., Bayyo, E. B., Kosek, M., Shrestha, S., Schaefer, B. A., Bessong, P., Ahmed, T., Lang, D., 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., McCormick, B. J., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 59, pp. S261-S272
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
The MAL-ED study: A multinational and multidisciplinary approach to understand the relationship between enteric pathogens, malnutrition, gut physiology, physical growth, cognitive development, and immune responses in infants and children up to 2 years of age in resource-poor environments
Miller, M., Acosta, A. M., Chavez, C. B., Flores, J. T., Olotegui, M. P., Pinedo, S. R., Trigoso, D. R., Vasquez, A. O., Ahmed, I., Alam, D., Ali, A., Bhutta, Z. A., Qureshi, S., Shakoor’, S., Soofi, S., Turab, A., Yousafzai, A. K., Zaidi, A. K., Bodhidatta, L., Mason, C. J., Babji, S., Bose, A., John, S., Kang, G., Kurien, B., Muliyil, J., Raghava, M. V., Ramachandran, A., Rose, A., Pan, W., Ambikapathi, R., Carreon, D., Charu, V., Dabo, L., Doan, V., Graham, J., Hoest, C., Knobler, S., Lang, D., McCormick, B., McGrath, M., Miller, M., Mohale, A., Nayyar, G., Psaki, S., Rasmussen, Z., Richard, S., Seidman, J., Wang, V., Blank, R., The MAL-ED Network Investigatorsa
Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 59, pp. S193-S206
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Postpartum depressive symptoms across time and place: Structural invariance of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire among women from the international, multi-site MAL-ED study
Pendergast, L. L., Scharf, R. J., Rasmussen, Z. A., Seidman, J. C., Schaefer, B. A., Svensen, E., Tofail, F., Koshy, B., Kosek, M., Rasheed, M. A., Roshan, R., Maphula, A., Shrestha, R., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Bessong, P., Mapula, A., Nyathi, E., Mahopo, C., Samie, A., Nesamvuni, C., Mduma, E. R., Patil, C. L., Amour, C., Lima, A. A., Oriá, R. B., Lima, N. L., Soares, A. M., Bindá, A. H., Lima, I. F., Quetz, J. S., Moraes, M. L., Maciel, B. L., Costa, H., Quirino Filho, J., Leite, A. J., Mota, F. B., Di Moura, A. F., Olortegui, M. P., Chavez, C. B., Trigoso, D. R., Flores, J. T., Vasquez, A. O., Pinedo, S. R., Acosta, A. M., Ahmed, T., Haque, R., Ahmed, A. M., Islam, M., Hossain, I., McCormick, B., MAL-ED Network Investigators
Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 167, pp. 178-186
Contributions to Journals: Articles
[ONLINE] DOI:
[ONLINE]
Influenza and specific humidity in French Guiana: When analytical simplicity is golden
