Manisha Tharaney

Manisha Tharaney is the Project Director of the USAID-funded Enhancing Nutrition Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (NuMERAL) in the Health Sector project.  In this role, she supports USAID's Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (GH/MCHN) with the collaborative generation and use of evidence in nutrition, aiming to enhance local capacities for nutrition monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning in the health sector.  

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Tharaney has a broad and successful track record in designing, managing, and monitoring large-scale health and nutrition programs in East, West, and Central Africa and South Asia. She started her career in primary health care in India and has continued to work at all levels of the health system from community to district to national, focusing on nutrition and maternal and child health issues.   

Prior to joining RTI, Dr. Tharaney served as the West Africa Program Director on the Alive & Thrive Initiative at FHI 360, where she provided technical leadership to countries to strengthen the evidence-base and policy dialogue on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition service delivery and institutionalize these programs at scale. Additionally, Dr. Tharaney has held key leadership and management positions at Helen Keller International as the Country Director in Tanzania and as the anemia team lead on the Strengthening Partnerships for Nutrition Innovations Globally (SPRING) project.