July 8, 2026 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu

Enid Keseko already knew she was passionate about improving health through food and nutrition when she discovered she could use the public health field to extend her impact even further. While studying nutrition and dietetics as an undergraduate at Kenyatta University, she completed a practicum in a hospital setting and one with a community-based health care program that served individuals with chronic diseases.  

“These experiences exposed me to the complex relationship between malnutrition, obesity and chronic disease,” Keseko says. “They also shaped my early interest in nutrition as both a clinical and public health tool, particularly as I realized that food was not just a clinical issue; it is social and systemic.”

The Kenyan native’s internship at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology’s to become a registered dietitian sparked an interest in nutrition research, and she remained at the institution to pursue a master’s degree in public health nutrition. The program gave her the opportunity to contribute to community efforts focused on nutrition education. Yet when Keseko attended her first international nutrition research conference (hosted by the Federation of African Nutrition Societies), she realized she wanted to grow her knowledge and skills even further with a doctoral degree. 

While looking at various programs, Keseko discovered that health promotion, education, and behavior (HPEB) professor Brie Turner-McGrievy’s work in the areas of healthy eating, chronic disease prevention and cultural relevance aligned with her own. She also liked the multidisciplinary approach offered by the Ph.D. in HPEB program.

As a member of Turner-McGrievy’s Behavior Research in Eating (BRIE) Lab, Keseko has spent the past four years building her research expertise. She has contributed to two NIH-funded projects focused on improving health outcomes for underserved populations, particularly African Americans, and has even secured funding for her dissertation research project with the Olga I. Ogoussan Doctoral Research Award. She led a randomized control trial that examined the impact of food documentaries on diet quality and self-efficacy for healthy eating among adults with overweight or obesity.

 “Dr. Turner-McGrievy has been one of the most defining parts of my Ph.D. journey,” Keseko says. “She has challenged me in the way the best mentors do and played a key role in developing my readiness to continue as an independent and experienced researcher. She has listened to my ideas and encouraged me to pursue them while exposing me to opportunities that have expanded my professional world.”

With interests in diet-related chronic disease prevention, weight loss maintenance, and media and technology in nutrition and health education, Keseko plans to develop her expertise even further with a postdoctoral position after graduating in August. She feels ready for this step due to the breadth and depth of experience she’s received at the Arnold School – ranging from working with participants to implement a nutrition intervention for diabetes prevention to sharpening her research skills, such as data analysis and manuscript development.

“There’s a genuine sense of belonging at USC, and it makes the day to day feel more energizing,” Keseko says. “The connections I’ve built with my peers and my professors have made the journey feel collaborative and this kind of environment is something I cannot take for granted.”

For those considering a similar path, she reminds prospective students to find purpose in something greater than themselves.

“Everyone tells you to ‘know your why’ before applying to a Ph.D. program, and that advice is solid,” Keseko says. “From where I sit now, I've come to understand that your ‘why’ can't stop at you. It’s about understanding whose lives your work can impact and that can carry you through the program and beyond.”

---