Mary Ann Lila is the director of N.C. State University's

Plants for Human Health Institute The Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI) is a North Carolina State University based research and education organization located at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States. The PHHI researches food c ...

(PHHI) located at the

North Carolina Research Campus The North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) is a public-private research center in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States. The Campus was envisioned by David H. Murdock, owner of Dole Food Company and Castle and Cook ...

Kannapolis Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte, and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The institute is part of N.C. State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In her role with PHHI, Lila is a David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor and part of N.C. State's Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences. She is a researcher and has been called "the rock star of blueberry research." Lila's research program, called the "LilaLab," focuses on identifying and understanding the bioactive components of fruits and vegetables that confer human health benefits when consumed. Her lab works to identify these compounds and define the protective mechanisms which will ultimately lead to recommendations for how much or how often a food would need to be consumed to confer health benefits. In doing so, she hopes to develop and discover ways to counteract chronic diseases, promote endurance and protect human health. She specializes in berries, like blueberries, black currants and cranberries, but also investigates other food crops. Lila has ongoing research projects in Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania, and is vice president of the Global Institute for BioExploration (GIBEX). In 1999, Lila won a Fulbright Senior Scholarship to conduct research and outreach in New Zealand. Previous to N.C. State, Lila was a professor at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. She is an author of about 200 published journal articles, books and chapters. Under Lila's direction, the Plants for Human Health Institute has received more than $10 million in gift donations and competitive grants. Lila has degrees from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

and the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. She has served as the U.S. correspondent for the International Association of Plant Biotechnology, President of the Society for In Vitro Biology, Director of the ACES Global Connect – the international arm of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Associate Director of the Functional Foods for Health Program.

References

External links

Plants for Human Health Institute website

North Carolina State University website

North Carolina Research Campus website

North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lila, Mary Ann Living people American health activists University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty North Carolina State University faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Illinois alumni Year of birth missing (living people)