Basheerah Enahora Honored as Goodnight Early Career Innovator

The Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences (AHS) is proud to announce that Basheerah Enahora, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences (AHS), has been selected for the prestigious 2024-25 class of Goodnight Early Career Innovators. Enahora joins 24 distinguished NC State faculty members in receiving this honor, which highlights their significant contributions to STEM and STEM education.

The Goodnight Early Career Innovators program awards $22,000 annually for three years to support research and scholarly endeavors. This recognition is a testament to Enahora’s impactful work and her potential to drive transformative advancements in her field.

“Enahora’s innovative use of digital technologies, including virtual avatars and mobile applications, has the potential to revolutionize nutrition education and make a tangible difference in our North Carolina communities and beyond,” said Ben Chapman, AHS department head. “Her work truly embodies the spirit of the Goodnight Early Career Innovators Award.”

Enahora’s current research is focused on reducing health disparities in underserved communities, particularly among underrepresented minorities. Her work employs a mixed-methods approach to improve the diet and health of adolescents and adults through interventions that increase exposure and access to healthy foods while leveraging digital technologies to promote and sustain positive health behaviors.

The Goodnight Award will be pivotal in advancing Enahora’s PhytoRx Families produce prescription study, which seeks to transform rural health and healthcare delivery. Additionally, the funding will support a doctoral student, underscoring her commitment to developing the next generation of applied nutrition scientists.

Reflecting on the award, Enahora shared, “It’s truly an honor to receive the Goodnight Early Career Innovator Award, which will help push my research and extension outreach forward. There’s currently a gap in the literature with few studies objectively measuring the dietary and health impacts of produce prescription programs. Thus, the PhytoRx Families program integrates with healthcare practitioners to provide participants with fresh fruits and vegetables weekly, in-person nutrition education bi-weekly, and text messaging to reinforce health behavior change for 16 weeks. We will also robustly assess the program’s nutrition and health impacts among rural NC adults and youth through a randomized controlled trial. I’m excited to begin our program pilot in early 2025 and am grateful to receive this award to help fulfill my mission of improving the health of North Carolina families. I’d like to thank my department head, Ben Chapman, for nominating me and for his unwavering support of my research and extension efforts.”

The AHS Department extends its heartfelt congratulations to Enahora for this well-deserved recognition. Her dedication to improving the health and wellness of North Carolina families is inspiring, and we look forward to the continued impact of her work.