Dr. Leila Cheikh Ismail

College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah

Dr. Leila Cheikh Ismail is an Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, UAE, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK. A Registered Nutritionist in the UK with a Ph.D. in Nutrition, she brings over 30 years of experience in public health, maternal and child nutrition, and nutrition research.

Her research has a strong focus on child and adolescent nutrition, dietary assessment, eating behaviours, and the development of evidence to inform nutrition education and healthy school environments. Her nationwide research on children aged 0–14 years has identified important nutritional deficiencies, unhealthy dietary patterns, poor eating behaviours, and obesity-related risks, highlighting the need for targeted and age-appropriate school-based nutrition programmes and interventions.

Dr. Cheikh Ismail has previously held senior roles with the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and was a Senior Researcher and Project Leader at the University of Oxford for the landmark INTERGROWTH-21st Project. She has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers and continues to translate research evidence into practical nutrition policies and programmes that support healthier children and communities.