Jacob Kigo Kariuki PhD, RN, AGNP-BC, FAHA

Dr. Kariuki is an Associate Professor and the Assistant Director for Research at the Lillian Carter Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility (LCC). In his administrative work within the LCC, Dr. Kariuki works closely with his colleagues to increase the School of Nursing global research networks and productivity. Currently, the LCC is supporting a major initiative to promote nursing research capacity in six African universities through a well-structured faculty development and mentorship program. 

Dr. Kariuki’s program of research is focused on prevention of cardiometabolic diseases in high risk and underserved populations. His prior research aimed at making evidence-based cardiovascular risk assessment more convenient and practical in under-resourced settings. The validation and cost-effectiveness studies from this work are widely cited and continue to inform research and clinical decisions, especially in low- and middle-income countries. His current research seeks to address one of the most fraught and frustrating aspects of cardiometabolic health — physical activity and obesity. Many people, including clinicians, place blame and the full burden of change, on individuals with obesity. Instead, Dr. Kariuki recognizes that barriers to physical activity reflect a complex interplay of social, economic, and environmental factors. He also understands that too much emphasis on weight-loss can be counter-productive. His Weight Agnostic Total Cardiometabolic Health (WATCH) Lab seeks to promote optimal cardiometabolic health via strategies that are not predicated on weight loss. He has received numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health and other agencies to study cardiometabolic and brain health in the US and Africa, and his work is widely disseminated via high impact publications and presentations in scientific conferences. 

Dr. Kariuki has extensive teaching and curriculum development experience in areas of gerontology, preventive health, and intervention development. He has taught in seminars and large enrollment undergraduate and graduate level courses. His service contributions include Senior Associate Editor at Behavioral Medicine, member of the American Heart Association (AHA) Lifestyle Physical Activity Committee, member at Large of the AHA Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing, and member of the AHA Early Career Committee of the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. Dr. Kariuki is also a manuscript reviewer for various journals including the Lancet Public Health, Annals of Medicine, Behavioral Medicine, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine, Geriatric Nursing Journal, and npj Digital Medicine.