Bramaramba (Brama) Kowtha joined the ODP in December 2020. She is responsible for promoting collaborative research projects and leading trans-NIH disease prevention efforts. Ms. Kowtha works to strengthen partnerships to advance disease prevention, including addressing health disparities and the leading risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Additionally, she contributes to efforts to identify prevention research gaps in order to facilitate the development of scientific initiatives, workshops, and meetings.

Before joining the ODP, Ms. Kowtha worked as a Project Officer and Public Health Analyst at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In this role, she developed funding opportunity announcements, managed grants with academic institutions, and provided guidance to grantees. In addition, as a clinician registered dietitian nutritionist group leader at HRSA, she collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to educate staff on prevention-focused nutrition topics.

Prior to joining HRSA, Ms. Kowtha worked as a Senior Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) where she monitored national child nutrition programs and provided program oversight to state and local governments. She also supported implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act by developing training grants and cooperative agreements.

Ms. Kowtha represented HRSA and USDA at several conferences and inter-agency meetings, presenting on nutrition, obesity, mental health, and public health policy issues. Before joining the federal government, she served in diverse roles across academia, industry, and in nonprofit settings.

Ms. Kowtha has years of experience in clinical and community nutrition. She has two master’s degrees in food and nutrition and food science. In her spare time, she volunteers with Mentors Advancing STEM Education and Research, a group that helps high school and college students learn crucial technical skills in science and technology.