American Society for Nutrition Announces New Fellows
The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and ASN Foundation are pleased to announce the 14 individuals who will be inducted into its Class of 2022 Fellows, including our own Editorial Board member, Linda Tapsell, PhD. To be inducted as a Fellow of the Society is the highest honor ASN bestows, recognizing individuals for significant discoveries and distinguished careers in the field of nutrition. Congratulations to the new members below on a well-deserved honor.
Steven Abrams, MD, University of Texas at Austin
Peter Aggett, MSc, MBChB, University of Central Lancashire, UK
Susan Fried, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Angel Gil, PhD, University of Granada, Spain
Donald Jump, PhD, Oregon State University
Gregory Miller, PhD, National Dairy Council
Rachel Novotny, PhD, RDN, University of Hawaii
Jose Ordovas, PhD, Tufts University USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Pamela Pehrsson, PhD, USDA-Agricultural Research Service-Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center-MAFCL
Aryeh Stein, PhD, Emory University
June Stevens, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Linda Tapsell, PhD, University of Wollongong, Australia
Nancy Turner, PhD, Michigan State University
Xiang-Dong Wang, MD, PhD, Tufts University USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Dr Lindsay Allen and Dr Terry Isbell Named to ARS Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Drs Lindsay Allen and Terry Isbell who were named to the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Science Hall of Fame for their pioneering and impactful research in human nutritional health and biobased product development.
A research physiologist and a former director of the Agricultural Research Service's Western Human Nutrition Research Center's Obesity and Metabolism Research unit in Davis, California, Allen is being honored for outstanding and sustained contributions leading to a better understanding of micronutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin B12 which is only available from animal food sources. In some instances, Allen's findings reversed long-held scientific dogma. In the case of vitamin B12, for example, her research showed that a deficiency of this micronutrient isn't solely limited to strict vegetarians, but is also widespread in men, women and children who consume inadequate amounts of animal-source foods such as fish, meat, poultry milk and eggs. This deficiency also extends to low-income population groups.
Allen's research also showed that consumers could be deficient in a suite of micronutrients because of poor dietary quality. Based on those findings, she helped to devise micronutrient supplement formulations for infants and pregnant women that were adopted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and used globally with notable beneficial impacts on maternal and infant health, as well as pregnancy outcomes.
More recently, Allen's work showed that women consuming poor-quality diets low in animal-source foods tend to have lower breast milk concentrations of most micronutrients, findings that led to substantial funding by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other organizations. The World Health Organization, together with the Food and Agriculture Organization, in 2006 also tapped Allen to develop guidelines for the micronutrient fortification of food, an information resource that has been cited more than 1,500 times and translated into Spanish, French and Chinese.
Dr. Terry Isbell is a retired chemist from the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research's Bio-Oils Research unit in Peoria, Illinois, is being recognized for his leadership in the conception, design and execution of research to develop an array of products derived from crop commodities such as vegetable oil rather than nonrenewable sources such as petroleum. In particular, Isbell's research set the stage for the commercialization of estolides, a class of bio-synthetic oils with numerous uses in lubricant, automotive, marine and personal-care applications.
In his research, Isbell proceeded with an eye towards adapting the chemical structure of the estolides to the particular applications for which they were intended. This approach typically began with catalyzing reactions between an alcohol and unsaturated fatty acids in the oils of such crops as canola, sunflower, safflower, lesquerella, castor and high oleic-acid soybeans-all renewable alternatives to mineral oil- and petroleum-based materials typically used.
Isbell and colleagues' collaborations with private industry led to the commercialization of two high-performing estolides-based motor oil formulations (5 W-20 and 5 W-30) that received certification from the American Petroleum Institute in 2014, marking the first time a biobased oil has ever received such certification.
FFAR Names Chapotin as Executive Director
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), a nonprofit that builds public-private partnerships to fund food and agriculture research, today announced that its Board of Directors selected Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin as FFAR's executive director. Chapotin currently serves as the executive director of the United States Botanic Garden (USBG), a position she has held since 2018. Chapotin is a plant scientist, who is passionate about sharing the importance of plants and agriculture.
Previously, Chapotin worked at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for over 11 years. She held multiple positions at USAID, serving as the deputy assistant administrator in USAID's Bureau for Food Security before joining the USBG. Earlier in her career, Chapotin completed fellowships at Iowa State University and the National Academies working on issues of biosafety policy, scientific communication and national security. She further conducted research on forest ecology and canopy biology throughout the United States, Madagascar and Costa Rica.
Chapotin received her bachelor's degree in biology from Stanford University and a doctorate in plant physiology from Harvard University.
In Memoriam
"Don" McCormick, PhD
Donald Bruce McCormick PhD, distinguished biochemist and beloved professor at Cornell and Emory Universities died in April 2022. Don was best known for his work on many of the water soluble B vitamins and their metabolism. He served as President of the American Institute of Nutrition, was a stalwart on many Food and Nutrition Board committees at the National Academy of Sciences, edited the Annual Review of Nutrition and served as well publishing hundreds of peer reviewed publications. Among his many awards he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, was a fellw of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Nutrition Today extends our sympathy to his family on the loss of this fine scientist and human being.
Sarah Jean Dran-Hallberg, MD
Dr. Sarah Jean Dran-Hallberg a researcher in the nutritional management of Type 2 Diabetes and other metabolic diseases. She founded Indiana University Health Arnett's Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program in 2012. She was also the medical director of Virta Health, a nutrition science company. Dr. Dran Hallberg was the lead investigator of a 5-year clinical trial that tested Type 2 reversal using carbohydrate restriction, and she co-authored over a dozen manuscripts and peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Dran Hallberg never gave up her battle with the status quo, for the sake of her patients and for science-based medicine. She had a genuine concern for others. She believed in her patients and helped them believe in themselves and their ability to take charge of their own health. Our condolences to her husband Brad, and her children.
CALENDAR
American College of Sports Medicine's 69th Annual Meeting
May 31 - June 4, 2022.
San Diego, CA.
https://www.acsm.org/annual-meeting/program/future-past-meetings/future-annual-m
American Diabetes Association 82st Scientific Sessions:
June 3-7, 2022
Virtual and New Orleans
https://professional.diabetes.org
Nutrition 2022 Live Online.
June 14-16 2022
https://nutrition.org/nutrition-2022/.
The Liver Biology Conference: Fundamental Mechanisms and Translational Applications. June 26-30 2022
New Orleans, LA.
https://www.faseb.org/meetings-and-events/src-events/the-liver-biology-conferenc.
School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference
July 10-12, 2022
Orlando, Florida
http://schoolnutrition.org
Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior 54th Annual Conference
July 29 - July 31, 2022
Atlanta, GA
http://www.sneb.org