Ranaivo A. Rasolofoson is an Assistant Professor of Planetary Health at the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto. He has led and conducted independent research that transcends disciplines and systems (e.g., terrestrial and marine). His research addresses global challenges related to human health, development, and environmental sustainability. He has integrated approaches from social sciences (participatory methods), economics (causal inference), ecology, nutrition, public health, and public policy to investigate the health, social and environmental impacts of environmental change and programs. Ranaivo has published in leading interdisciplinary and conservation journals, such as Science Advances, Nature Communications, the Lancet Planetary Health, Conservation Biology, and Conservation Letters. His research has been undertaken in collaboration with academic and non-academic organizations (World Bank, WWF, USAID, Save the Children).
Ranaivo ’s expertise ranges from processing global remote sensing and socio-economic datasets to working directly in the field with local communities. He has investigated community forest management impacts on deforestation, economic and subjective wellbeing in Madagascar, forest impacts on diarrheal incidence in Central America, and early childhood development and child nutritional outcomes within African inland fisheries. Ranaivo currently examines the roles of environmental resources in resilience to the health impacts of extreme weather events. He also explores how to integrate community conservation and nutrition programs to deliver benefits to nutritional health and the environment in low-income countries