Tebogo Leepile

Tebogo Leepile, or "Tebby", from Botswana, is in the final stages of her Ph.D. in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems under the supervision of Drs. Eduardo Jovel and Crystal Karakochuk. Her work broadly focuses on understanding and leveraging the intersections between food environments, nutrition, and health in alleviating food and nutrition vulnerabilities among the less privileged especially women and children. She is also passionate about implementation science, specifically the effectiveness of public policy efforts that seek to bridge the gender gaps in education and agriculture. Tebby is a committed and engaged leader and scholar who continues to serve in different roles across UBC and beyond. Most notably, she co-founded the Liu Network for Africa (LINA), a platform that serves as a focal point for research, discussions, and policy actions on Africa’s governance and development issues.

Tebby's project aims to evaluate the level of food insecurity and prevalence of anemia among the San People of Botswana and determine the role of social determinants of health in these challenges. Her work strongly supports the theme of identifying and alleviating extrinsic factors that compromise child health and development. Most importantly, she is interested in policy issues and implementation science to inform and guide respectful, inclusive, and impactful research and actions to better lives.