Ann Prentice, (born 1952) is a British

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many ...

Education

Prentice studied chemistry at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

, then medical physics at the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institu ...

, and natural sciences at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Career

Since 1978, her career has been with the Medical Research Council, both in the United Kingdom and

The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 c ...

at th
MRC Unit The Gambia
From 1998, until its closure in 2018, she was the director of the MRC's collaborative Centre for Human Nutrition Research (HNR) (latterly called the " Elsie Widdowson Laboratory"). He
research group
subsequently moved to th
MRC Epidemiology Unit
within the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine where she i
Honorary Professor of Global Nutrition and Health
Her research focuses on lifecourse nutritional requirements for population health, with an emphasis on

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

and

vitamin D Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and many other biological effects. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D3 ...

, and encompasses the nutritional problems of both affluent and resource-limited societies. She is involved in projects studying pregnant and lactating women,

people living with HIV HIV-positive people, seropositive people or people who live with HIV are people who have the human immunodeficiency virus HIV, the agent of the currently incurable disease AIDS. According to estimates by WHO and UNAIDS, 34.2 million people were ...

, children, adolescents and older persons in the UK,

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northe ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, China,

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

. She is internationally recognised for her work in nutrition and bone health, and human

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The pr ...

. Her research interests include: * Optimal nutritional status and nutritional vulnerability in relation to health * Nutritional problems of the developing world and global health * Dietary requirements for human growth, pregnancy and lactation, and old age * Nutritional aspects of bone health, peak bone mass, rickets and osteoporosis * Calcium and vitamin D requirements across the life span and across populations * Human lactational physiology and breast-milk composition * Human calcium, vitamin D and bone physiology, metabolism and genetics * Population nutritional recommendations and surveillance * Functional and biochemical markers of micronutrient status She has served on the

UK Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

'
Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition
(SACN) since its inception, including as chair between 2010 - 2020. She is a member of the SACN Subgroup on Maternal and Child Nutrition (SMCN). From 2004 to 2007, she served as president of th
Nutrition Society

Honours

Prentice was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2006 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2006 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 17 June 2006, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2006.Antigua & Barbuda list: The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, a ...

and

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the

2024 New Year Honours The 2024 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to British and global public health nutrition. She is an Honorary

Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of paedi ...

, a

Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) is an award for medical scientists who are judged by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of ...

(FMedSci), a Fellow of the Association for Nutrition (FAfN), and a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology Fellowship of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB), previously Fellowship of the Society of Biology (FSB), is an award and fellowship granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Biology has adjudged to have made a "prominent contribution to t ...

(FRSB). Prentice is the recipient of numerous honours, awards and prizes; she received th
British Nutrition Foundation Prize
in 2011, the Institut Candia's Laureate de Le Prix Scientifique in 1998, and th
Robert and Edna Langholz Award for International Nutrition
in 2004. In 2018 she received the
Macy-György Award
(International Society of Research into Human Milk and Lactation), in 2017 she was made honorary Fellow of the

International Union of Nutritional Sciences The International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) is an international non-governmental organization established in 1946 devoted to the advancement of nutrition. Its mission and objectives are: *To promote advancement in nutrition science, ...

. She was the recipient of the 2020 inaugura
Widdowson Award
named in honour of

Elsie Widdowson Elsie Widdowson (21 October 1906 – 14 June 2000), was a British dietitian and nutritionist. She and Dr Robert McCance, a pediatrician, physiologist, biochemist, and nutritionist, were responsible for overseeing the government-mandated additi ...

, from the Nutrition Society in recognition of her excellent contribution to the field of public health nutrition. On 7 December 2020, she delivered her Widdowson Award lecture entitled "Hard facts and misfits: essential ingredients of public health nutrition research". She holds an Honorary Doctorate from the

, and Honorary Professorships at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

and at

Shenyang Medical College Shenyang Medical College () is a medical institution of higher learning in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, P. R. China. It was formerly known as Shenyang Municipal Advanced Practice Nurse School . The school opened in 1949 and was renamed Shenyang ...

in addition to her Professorship at the University of Cambridge.

References

External links

* * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Prentice, Ann 1952 births Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Association for Nutrition Fellows of the Royal Society of Biology Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) people Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Surrey Alumni of the University of Cambridge British nutritionists Alumni of Darwin College, Cambridge