Lani Sue Stephenson (July 31, 1948 – March 10, 2021) was an American
parasitologist
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it f ...
and nutritionist, "a pioneer in field-based studies on nutrition–parasite interactions".
Early life
Stephenson was born in
Honolulu, Hawai'i
Honolulu ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island of Oʻahu, ...
,
["Stephenson, Lani Sue." in ''American Men & Women of Science'': ''A Biographical Directory of Today's Leaders in Physical, Biological, and Related Sciences'', 23rd ed., vol. 6, Gale, 2007, pp. 1138-1139. via Gale eBooks] the daughter of Russell V. Stephenson Jr. and Joan Stephenson. Her father was the music director at the
Punahou School
Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school was established by P ...
. At
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, she earned a bachelor's degree in 1971, a master's in 1973, and PhD in 1978, all in the human nutrition program. Her dissertation involved a study of
ascariasis
Ascariasis is a disease caused by the parasitic roundworm ''Ascaris lumbricoides''. Infections have no symptoms in more than 85% of cases, especially if the number of worms is small. Symptoms increase with the number of worms present and may in ...
, a human parasitic infection that causes malnutrition.
Career
Stephenson remained at Cornell University a researcher in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, and later as associate professor. She was also a visiting professor at the Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology. Much of her research was based in Kenya, where she collaborated with her husband on studies of intestinal parasites and malnutrition in children, and on interventions to prevent or treat
schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever is a neglected tropical helminthiasis, disease caused by parasitism, parasitic Schistosoma, flatworms called schistosomes. It affects both humans and animals. It affects ...
,
filariasis
Filariasis is a filarial infection caused by parasitic nematodes (roundworms) spread by different vectors. They are included in the list of neglected tropical diseases.
The most common type is lymphatic filariasis caused by three species o ...
, and
malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
. She retired from Cornell in 2000.
Publications
Stephenson's research was published in scholarly journals including ''
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...
'', ''
Experimental Parasitology
''Experimental Parasitology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the field of parasitology. It is published by Elsevier and was established in 1951. The main topics covered are the physiology, immunology, biochemistry, and molec ...
'', ''
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
''The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition'' (''AJCN'') is a monthly peer-reviewed biomedical journal in the fields of dietetics and clinical nutrition.
The journal was established in 1952 as the ''Journal of Clinical Nutrition'', edited by ...
'', ''
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) is an Arlington, Virginia-based non-profit organization of scientists, clinicians, students and program professionals whose longstanding mission is to promote global health through the ...
'',''
'',
''World Health Forum'', ''Journal of Tropical Pediatrics'',
''
Social Science & Medicine
''Social Science & Medicine'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering social science research that is relevant to health. The disciplines covered by the journal include anthropology, economics, geography, psychology, social epidemiology, soc ...
'',
''Nutritional Reviews'',
''
Journal of the American Dietetic Association'', ''Paediatric Drugs'',
and the ''
Journal of Nutrition
''The Journal of Nutrition'' (or shortened as '' JN'' or '' J Nutr'') is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Society for Nutrition. Established in 1928, the journal publishes experimental research on human, animal, cellu ...
''. Some of her solo-authored papers and monographs include:
* "The contribution of
Ascaris lumbricoides
''Ascaris lumbricoides'' is a large parasitic worm, parasitic Nematoda, roundworm of the genus ''Ascaris.'' It is the most common parasitic worm in humans. An estimated 807 million–1.2 billion people are infected with ''Ascaris lumbricoides'' ...
to malnutrition in children" (1980)
* "Evaluation of a four year project to control ascaris infection in children in two Kenyan villages" (1983)
* "Methods to evaluate nutritional and economic implications of ascaris infection" (1984)
* ''Schistosomiasis and Malnutrition'' (1986)
* "
Helminth
Parasitic worms, also known as helminths, are a polyphyletic group of large macroparasites; adults can generally be seen with the naked eye. Many are intestinal worms that are soil-transmitted and infect the gastrointestinal tract. Other par ...
Parasites, a Major Factor in Malnutrition" (1994)
* "Possible New Developments in Community Control of Iron-Deficiency Anemia" (1995)
* "Optimising the Benefits of Anthelmintic Treatment in Children" (2001)
* "Pathophysiology of Intestinal
Nematodes
The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (he ...
" (2002)
Personal life
Stephenson married a fellow Cornell nutritionist,
Michael C. Latham in 1974, as his second wife.
He died in 2011. She died in
Newfield, New York
Newfield is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 5,184 at the 2020 census. The town's name is derived from the many unoccupied tracts of land that were once in the town.
The Town of Newfield is in the southwest ...
in 2021, aged 72 years.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Lani
1948 births
2021 deaths
American nutritionists
Cornell University alumni
Cornell University faculty
American women scientists
American parasitologists
Scientists from Honolulu