What we eat is shaped by more than just hunger. This idea lies at the heart of Prabu Nadaraja’s research, which explores how food representations on social media influence immigrant health in Ontario. As a first-year Ph.D. candidate in the Health Information Science program at Western University, he is preparing his project proposal on the digital food environment on social media, including advertisements, interactions, cultural celebrations and viral trends, and how these forces construct identity of people and influence their perceptions of health and well-being.

“Food is connected to identity, especially when immigrants move from their own country to a new land,” Prabu said.

The idea first took shape during his Master’s studies at the University of Malaysia, where he investigated food choices among adolescents population in Malaysia. But its inspiration traces back even further – to his early working experience in communicaty health centre in his hometown in Sri Lanka.

Prabu’s journey in public health began about eight years ago, starting with voluntary community works a medical student. After earning his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Jaffna, he started his career as a health promotion officer at SUVADI, an not-for-profit company that develops innovative technologies to find solution for health challenges. In this role, he developed and executed public health initiatives, working closely with various government deparments, including the agriculture department and small entreprises development department, to tackle chronic malnutrition – a crisis that has persisted for generationas in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s years of conflict. Through years of experience, Prabu recognized that the real solution to public health challenges lies within the socio-political system rather than simply in curing disease.

With the goal to better connect his experience with academic research, Prabu pursued a Master’s degree in Public Health, which ultimately led him to his Ph.D. at Western University, where he now focuses on health information systems and policy analysis.

“Public health is not just the work of the health department itself, but instead, a lot of people do so many things which enables public health; [and] our role is holding everyone together for certain goals,” Prabu explained.

Alongside academia, Prabu serves as a part-time Graduate Teaching Assistant at Western University. He is also a voluntary food activist with Slow Food International, supporting immigrant health communications in multiple capacities and contributing to the new Slow Food Farms program.

Looking ahead, Prabu envisions himself bridging the gap between research, policy, and real-world practice. His immediate goal is to deepen his understanding of Canada’s healthcare system and to strengthen connections with immigrant organizations in London and Toronto, particularly those working with Sri Lankan communities. Reflecting on his journey, Prabu shares that his proudest accomplishment is having the opportunity to support his own community, which has been devastated by war, and to extend that support to many different places.

In the long run, Prabu aims to become a public health planner for government agencies or NGOs, contributing to both academic knowledge and policy-making to enhance public health on a broader scale.