MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Bob Earl, MPH, Moves to Food Allergy Research and Education
Robert (Bob) Earl, MPH, has been named as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs of the Food Allergy Research and Education group, the largest private finder of food allergy advocacy and research in April. Bob brings more than 3 decades of national and international experience in food and nutrition to the organization, along with an impeccable reputation and more than 3 decades of domestic and international expertise in food allergens, food labeling, and food and nutrition policy to the table. Bob returns to his roots in food allergy with this appointment, since he was the person who established the Food Allergy and Sensitivities Committee at the International Food Information Council, and he has worked closely over the years with many other food allergy organizations. He is one of the most knowledgeable members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) on this issue. In AND, he served as Speaker of the House of Delegates and on the Board and currently is chair elect of the Food and Culinary Dietetic Practice Group. He also has received the Medallion Award from the AND. Still earlier in his career, he served on the staff of the Food and Nutrition Board National Academies of Science. Most recently, Bob was director of regulatory policy intelligence at Kerry Taste and Nutrition and in global policy at the Coca Cola Company. This is great news for all in the nutrition community with an interest in food allergy. Congratulations, Bob!
Nutrition Today Welcomes New Editorial Board Member Louise Burke, PhD
Nutrition Today is pleased to welcome new Editorial Advisory Board member Louise Burke, PhD, RD. Louise is an Australian sports dietitian with 40 years of experience in the education and counseling of elite athletes. She worked at the Australian Institute of Sport for 30 years, first as Head of Sports Nutrition and then as Chief of Nutrition Strategy. She was the team dietitian for the Australian Olympic Teams for the 1996-2012 Summer Olympic Games. Her publications include more than 350 articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, and the authorship or editorship of several textbooks on sports nutrition. She is an editor of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. Louise was a founding member of the Executive of Sports Dietitians Australia and is a Director of the IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition. She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009 for her contribution to sports nutrition. Louise was appointed as Chair in Sports Nutrition in the Mary MacKillop Institute of Health Research at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne in 2014 and took up this position in a full-time capacity in 2020. Welcome aboard, Louise!
"What You Need to Know": Dietary Supplement Webinar Now Available on Demand
A video recording of the ODS webinar "Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know" is available on the National Institutes of Health VideoCast website. The 1-hour webinar is presented by scientific and health communications consultants Paul Thomas, EdD, RDN, and Carol Haggans, MS, RD, with an introduction by Joseph Betz, PhD, Acting ODS Director. The webinar, originally presented on March 16, 2021, addresses essential facts about dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and botanicals, and concludes with a Q&A session that addresses many commonly asked questions about these products. Key topics include the following:
* Types of dietary supplements and their ingredients
* Reasons for use
* Efficacy, safety, and quality issues to consider
* How to read a Supplement Facts label
* Dietary supplements that can help manage specific health conditions
* Immune health and dietary supplements
* Safe ranges and excessive intakes
* Unique considerations for botanical supplements
* How the Food and Drug Administration regulates dietary supplements
* Tips to find a quality supplement
To access the webinar, go to https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=41643?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
NEW NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REPORT ADDRESSES CARE CHALLENGES FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine assesses the body of evidence on dementia care interventions, services, and supports; informs decision making about which interventions should be broadly disseminated and implemented; and guides future actions and research. The authoring committee's primary source of evidence was an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality systematic review of the available evidence on care interventions. The committee also considered additional evidence and input, including perspectives from persons living with dementia, care partners, and caregivers. Although the term caregiver is well known, the committee also uses the term care partner, which is preferred by some because it acknowledges the reciprocal contributions of and partnership between individuals. Although additional research is needed to fill gaps in information about specific interventions, the committee laid out guiding principles and core components of care that organizations, agencies, communities, and individuals can use immediately to guide actions toward improving dementia care. To access the report, go to https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2778733.
BOOKS RECEIVED:
The Science of Health Disparities Research
edited by Drs Irene Dankwa-Mullan, Kevin L. Gardner, Xinzhi Zhang, Adelaida M. Rosario, and Eliseo J. Perez-Stable, MD
Building upon the advances in health disparities research for the past decade, this textbook serves as a reference to scientists developing a research program focused on health disparities research. These strategies will inform policies and practices addressing the diseases, disorders, and gaps in health outcomes that are more prevalent in minority populations and socially disadvantaged communities. In 26 chapters, the textbook describes how using an interdisciplinary approach can reduce inequities in population health studies, the importance of relying on community engagement for much of the research process, and the ways that rigorous research can promote social justice.
IN MEMORIAM
Dr Neville Belton
Nutrition Today mourns the life of Neville Richard Belton, a biochemist at University of Edinburgh Department of Child Life and Health at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. He graduated from the University of Birmingham, obtaining an Honors BSc in Medical Biochemistry in 1959, followed by a PhD in 1963. He was awarded a CChem MRSC in 1962 and the FRSC from the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2013.
After working as a demonstrator in Birmingham, Neville moved to Chicago for 4 years, first as a research associate in neurology at Chicago Memorial and then a lecturer in pharmacology and biochemistry.
After this, he was appointed lecturer in biochemistry in the Edinburgh University Department of Child Life and Health in 1967 and senior lecturer in 1975. He supervised and directed biochemistry research programs at the University of Edinburgh and in other academic institutions.
His research area was firmly focused on nutrition in children, especially vitamin D and mineral metabolism in pregnancy, infancy, and children; studies on the relationship between intracellular calcium, vitamin D, hypoxia, and cell death; and iron deficiency in children.
He was invited to a number of national professional bodies: the Department of Health and Social Care working party on the composition of infant foods; Convenor of the British Pediatric Association nutrition, metabolism and pharmacology group; and Chairman of the Child Nutrition Panel of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
He published more than 100 papers, articles, abstracts, and book contributions largely on pediatric biochemistry and nutrition and was an internal and external examiner for higher degrees in the University of Edinburgh and elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
He developed academic links between the University of Edinburgh and the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia and directed, and supervised, biochemical and medical personnel in programs there, particularly with respect to vitamin D metabolic studies, a subject of previously unexpected importance in that region.
Neville officially retired in 2000 but continued with scholarship, mentoring, and advice to others in his position as a postretirement fellow in the University of Edinburgh. He also began jointly working on a book on the origins and founding fathers of child life and health.
We send sincere condolences to his wife Elisabeth and their children Jane and Ian.