Anna Coutsoudis (born 21 September 1952) is a South African public health scientist and academic who has conducted research on

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

and

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...

, specializing in the benefits of

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the process where breast milk is fed to a child. Infants may suck the milk directly from the breast, or milk may be extracted with a Breast pump, pump and then fed to the infant. The World Health Orga ...

. An elected member of the

Academy of Science of South Africa The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is the national science academy in South Africa. It was started in 1996, and encompasses all fields of scientific work. Its legal foundation is the ''Academy of Science of South Africa Act'', Act ...

, she is a founder member and chair of iThemba Lethu, an organization for children with HIV, which provides a community-based breast milk bank.

Biography

Coutsoudis received her BSc from the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu- ...

in 1974, followed by a Higher Diploma in Education in 1975. Later, while raising a family, she completed her studies at the same university, earning a PhD from the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health with a thesis titled ''Epidemiological and clinical studies of vitamin A in Black South African pre-school children''. She was honoured by an award from

La Leche League International La Leche League International (LLLI) () is a Non-governmental organization, non-governmental, nonprofit organization, non-profit organization that organizes advocacy, education, and training related to breastfeeding. It is present in about 89 co ...

in 2001 for stressing the benefits of breastfeeding while in 2004 her extensive work on nutrition research was recognized by the Nutrition Society of South Africa. In Mexico at the

International AIDS Society The International AIDS Society (IAS) is the world's largest association of HIV/AIDS professionals, with 11,600 members from over 170 countries , including clinicians, people living with HIV, service providers, policy makers and others. It aims to ...

Conference in 2008, Coutsoudis presented a convincing and well-received paper which stressed the benefits of breastfeeding for HIV-affected infants. The following year, an article she and her colleague Hoosen Coovadia published in ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

'' called on the South African government to stop providing free formula milk to HIV-infected mothers, causing outrage from HIV activists. In particular, Cousoudis criticized the commercial promotion of formula milk for young babies in South Africa, especially as it countered recommendations from the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

. In September 2016, Coutsoudis participated in the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...

's 60th conference in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

where she was a key speaker at a well-attended event on "Nuclear Techniques to Assess Breastfeeding Practices". Coutsoudis has served on various committees of the World Health Organization including the Steering Committee of the Child and Adolescent Health Unit and guideline development groups on

Vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is an essential nutrient. The term "vitamin A" encompasses a group of chemically related organic compounds that includes retinol, retinyl esters, and several provitamin (precursor) carotenoids, most not ...

Supplementation and HIV and Infant Feeding. She has published over 100

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

scientific articles.

Awards and honors

In 2009, Anna Coutsoudis was awarded the Science for Society Gold Medal by the Academy of Science of South Africa.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coutsoudis, Anna 21st-century South African women scientists Living people South African public health doctors Members of the Academy of Science of South Africa University of Natal alumni Academic staff of the University of KwaZulu-Natal 1952 births Women public health doctors