Malek Batal

Malek Batal serves as a Professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Medicine and Director of the WHO-Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Changes and Development (TRANSNUT). Born in Lebanon, he came to Canada in 1993 with degrees in human nutrition, dietetics, and food science from the American University of Beirut, later earning his PhD in Human Nutrition from McGill University. His research focuses on food security, nutrition inequalities, and Indigenous health, leading him to work extensively with First Nations communities across Canada. As holder of the Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Health Inequalities and Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, he studies the connections between environmental health, food systems, and population wellbeing. His early career included significant work in Canada's Far North, where he studied traditional Indigenous foods. Currently, he leads several international projects, including initiatives in Ecuador and Haiti, while teaching courses like "Nutrition, Health and Society" at UdeM. His approach emphasizes participatory research and practical applications of findings to influence public policy and address health inequities