We Welcome New Editorial Advisory Board Members at Nutrition Today!!
Nutrition Today is pleased to announce the new members of the editorial advisory board, Drs Mary Story, Denise Rollison, and Irene Olsen. Each brings wonderful insights from their respective fields to the articles published in Nutrition Today.
Mary Story, PhD, is a Professor in the Division of Epidemiology, and Associate Dean of Student Affairs in the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, at the University of Minnesota. Dr Story, with a PhD in nutrition sciences, has worked in the area of child and adolescent nutrition for several years. Her research focuses on understanding factors related to eating behaviors of youth and community and school-based interventions for obesity prevention, healthy eating, and physical activity in children and adolescents. She is the immediate past chair of the Food and Nutrition Section of the American Public Health Association. Welcome, Mary!!
Denise Rollinson, MD, is currently an Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine at Tufts-New England Medical Center and Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine at Tufts Medical School. In addition to being a registered dietitian and having a master's in nutrition, she is also completing a second master's degree in clinical research at Tufts University Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. Her research interests include the treatment of intoxicated patients in the emergency department, alcohol screening and referral to treatment in the emergency department, and the effects of working nightshifts on clinical performance. Welcome, Denise!!
Irene E. Olsen, PhD, RD, LD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in the Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Division of Neonatology. Dr Olsen has a BS in food and nutrition from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a MS and PhD in nutrition sciences from Tufts Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Her research is focused on the growth and factors affecting growth of premature infants and the role of the registered dietitian in the neonatal intensive care unit. Welcome, Irene!!
In Memoriam
JULIA CHILD
The first lady of American cuisine, Julia Child, died in California in August shortly before celebrating her 92nd birthday. The last issue of Nutrition Today featured a biography of this remarkable, lovely, warm, and funny gastronome. Julia's kitchen is now on display at the Smithsonian museum in Washington. Julia's wisdom and good sense are enshrined in our new-found pride in American cuisine.
ARLENE W CAGGIULA, PhD
With sadness, we note the passing of Arlene Cagguila, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health. A nutritional epidemiologist, she was among the core group of nutritionists in the Multiple Risk Factors Intervention Trial (MRFIT) of the 1970s, which was directed against coronary artery disease. She also conducted numerous nutritional intervention studies in hypertension and renal disease. At the time of her death, she was active in research on the Women's Health Initiative. She is survived by her husband, Dr Anthony Cagguila.
CLIVE WEST, PhD
Dr Clive E. West, of the Agricultural University at Wageningen, Netherlands died in late August 2004. Clive's contributions in academic training and research in human nutrition at the division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, were seminal. He was an energetic and outstanding scientist who received both national and international recognition and respect for his excellent work in the field of micronutrient research in developing countries and particularly in the carotenoids. He was also key in developing nutrient databases and had a great interest in food composition.
Loma Linda Dean Pat Johnson Retires
Dr Patricia Johnson retired from her position as Dean of the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University in June 2004. Pat has given long and distinguished service to the School, both as a faculty member and as dean. She received the Loma Linda University Alumna of the Year award in 2002. Dr James L. Kyle, MD, is the school's new dean.
CRN Leader Dickenson Stepping Down
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), one of the dietary supplement industry's leading trade associations, announced that Annette Dickinson, PhD, plans to retire on early 2005. Dr Dickenson, A highly respected member of the Washington nutrition policy community, will continue in other endeavors. CRN has posted a full job description on its Web site, with instructions on how to apply for the position: http://www.crnusa.org/presidentceojob.html.
Michael M. Landa Named Deputy Director at FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Dr Lester Crawford, Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs, announced Michael M. Landa, Esq., was appointed the Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). According to Crawford, "as the Regulatory Affairs Deputy Director, he will draw on his extensive experience to provide executive leadership for the Center's important work involving major health claim petitions, the obesity initiative, and planning and executing CFSAN's enforcement strategies."
Awards and Kudos
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) will present honorary ADA membership October 2 to the Association's Executive Vice President Patricia Babjak. At ADA, Babjak is responsible for all strategic management and governance operations as well as supervision of research and scientific affairs, book publishing, careers and student services, and development of ADA position statements, among other areas. Babjak will be honored during the Opening Session of ADA's annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, to be held October 2-5 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.
Margaret Bogle, PhD, RD, was named one of Texas Woman's University's Distinguished Alumnae in June 2004, where she received her PhD. Bogle has a long history of outstanding work in pediatric and community medicine and serves as executive director of the Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Institute, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture. The Delta project covers 36 counties in 3 states, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi through better nutrition. Congratulations, Margaret!!
American Dietetic Association Names New Spokespeople
The American Dietetic Association announces the appointment of 9 registered dietitians as news media spokespeople for the association. Patricia Vasconcellos, RD, CDE, LD (Boston); Cathy Nonas, MS, RD, CDE, CDN (New York City); Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN (New York City); Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN (New York City); Tara Geise, MS, RD, LD/N (Orlando); Melinda Johnson, MS, RD (Phoenix); Dee Sandquist, MS, RD, CD (Portland, Ore); Jeannie Moloo, PhD, RD (Sacremento); and Christine Gerbstadt, MD, MPH, RD, LDN (State College, Pa).
Leptin May Help Thin Women
A new study has found that leptin may play a role in women's reproductive and neuroendocrine health and suggests a future for the hormone in treating several conditions, including exercise-induced bone loss, eating disorders, and some cases of infertility. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined 3 groups of women; the largest group, extremely thin women who are dealing with problems of infertility; the second group, competitive athletes and dancers whose thin frames put them at risk for developing osteoporosis and suffering bone fractures; and the smallest, but most extreme, group is women who are battling eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa. The common thread among all the women is that their conditions are characterized by extremely low levels of body fat.
Leptin is probably best recognized as an appetite and weight regulation hormone, but leptin also functions to signal the brain and other organs about dangerous states of low energy availability. The researchers think that leptin may regulate several key physiologic functions that depend on adequate energy balance, including reproduction, metabolism, and bone formation.
Within 3 months, the women given leptin therapy showed an increase in reproductive hormones, and women's menstrual periods and normal ovarian functioning were restored. In addition, significant improvements of serum markers (reflecting bone density) were found among the treated women. The control group showed no change in their condition.
These findings not only are important for women dealing with disease states related to negative energy balance but also have important implications for normal reproductive development, suggesting that leptin may be the impetus necessary for the onset of puberty in adolescent girls.