Global Education Office names the 2025 Harris Manchester College Summer Research Institute Fellow
Contact: Nicol Tinsley
VCU Global Education Office
(804) 828-6463
nctinsley@vcu.edu
Richmond, VA (April 10, 2025) — Virginia Commonwealth University’s Global Education Office has awarded Miriam Kuttikat, Ph.D., associate professor in the VCU School of Social Work, a grant to participate in the University of Oxford’s Harris Manchester College Summer Research Institute (SRI) in London, England. The award will allow Kuttikat to expand her research network at the prestigious University during the week of June 29 - July 6, 2025.
“The Global Education Office is committed to offering the Harris Manchester Summer Research Institute opportunity each year to support faculty international research and engagement,” said Jill Blondin, vice provost for global initiatives. “This experience directly benefits a faculty member's research and expands their network, which also increases VCU's global footprint.”
The Summer Research Institute fellowship is awarded to faculty whose research or scholarly projects will benefit from the unique resources available at the University of Oxford, including access to some of the University’s 100 libraries, many of which hold collections and archives of international importance, enabling them to enhance their research projects through a week of focused study. The projects will also support the internationalization of VCU.
Kuttikat will conduct research on “The Kerala Diaspora Study: A four-site examination of health and wellbeing, food and nutrition, social network, and lifestyle trends of Malayalis in Kerala, USA, UK and Canada.” The study is centered on the health of 35 million Malayalis from the southern Indian state of Kerala facing high prevalence rates of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Approximately 6.5 million Malayalis reside abroad in countries such as the USA, UK and Canada.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to participate in the Harris Manchester Summer Research Institute," said Kuttikat. "I hope to expand my current research project in the U.S. and Canada on the epidemiological patterns such as prevalence rates, demographic distributions, food nutrition and lifestyle trends of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes among Malayali diaspora to the UK,” she said. “By identifying shared and divergent patterns in disease prevalence and lifestyle behaviors, my research will provide critical insights into the socio-cultural and epidemiological factors that contribute to these health outcomes.”
Kuttikat noted the primary intention for applying for the Harris Manchester Summer Research Institute was to take advantage of the opportunities to collaborate with world class researchers, such as Dr. Shoumo Battacharya, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford. While conducting her research she will work with Battacharya to identify prevention and intervention strategies that will address the chronic health conditions among Malayalis.
A requirement of the award recipient’s research is that it will have a lasting impact on the internationalization of VCU. Kuttikat intends to fulfill this requirement through collaboration with international partners, while enhancing the university in the area of her own field of social work.
“The successful implementation of this project has the potential to open doors to exciting opportunities for international collaboration and research, thus amplifying VCU's influence and impact in the field of immigration and social work,” she said.
By examining a critical public health issue, chronic disease prevalence among migrant communities, and disseminating findings across India, Canada, UK and the U.S., Kutticutt intends her research to increase collaboration with international community partners and result in “designing effective strategies that will translate research into transformative outcomes.”