Joan Matji is UNICEF’s Director of Child Nutrition and Development. With over 20 years’ experience in the nutrition field, Joan has held senior roles within the organisation, including Representative to Botswana, Representative to SADC, Regional Nutrition Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa – where she provided oversight for UNICEF’s nutrition programming in 21 countries – and Chief of Nutrition in Ethiopia.
Prior to joining UNICEF, Joan served as an advisor on nutrition and HIV to USAID’s regional office in Southern Africa. She has taught undergraduate and post-graduate courses at the Medical University of Southern Africa and has written extensively on nutrition for various academic journals, while also serving as a reviewer for the South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Joan is a national of South Africa and holds a PhD in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Pretoria and a Master of Science degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
