SAHMRI Theme Leader first female to receive ISSFAL Lifetime Achievement Award recognition

The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute’s (SAHMRI) Women and Kids Theme Leader, Professor Maria Makrides, has become the first woman to receive the prestigious Alexander Leaf Distinguished Scientist Award for Lifetime Achievement at the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) Congress – this year, being held in Las Vegas.

Professor Makrides, also Professor of Human Nutrition, the University of Adelaide, received ISSFAL’s highest honour for her work evaluating the effect of different dietary fats during pregnancy and infancy on the growth, health and development of babies. Her work has set new standards internationally for the conduct of nutrition intervention studies with young families and has had an important influence on recommendations guiding the intake of dietary fatty acids in pregnancy, lactation and infancy.

At the Congress, Professor Makrides delivered a presentation on the topic ‘standing on the shoulders of giants: great women role models, mentors and advocates’, where she reflected on the research studies and situations that offered the greatest learnings and opportunities for career development, explaining that they were not always the easy options.

Professor Makrides said she is delighted to receive this recognition at ISSFAL 2018.

“I feel incredibly humbled to be in such excellent company of past recipients. There are so many potential worthy scientists in our field,” Professor Makrides said.

“I am fortunate to have worked with teams of fantastic researchers, clinicians and clinical and research staff across my career. We have a diverse and vibrant team, which is largely based at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. This diversity and the fact that we are embedded in the health services has facilitated our ability to make impactful contributions, and to translate discovery into health impact for mothers and their babies.”

About the ISSFAL and the Alexander Leaf Distinguished Scientist Award for Lifetime Achievement

ISSFAL is an International Scientific Society established in 1991, of more than 500 members from more than 40 countries. ISSFAL members are scientists, medical professionals, educators, administrators, communicators and others with an interest in the health effects of dietary fats, oils and lipids. ISSFAL is the foremost International Scientific Society dealing exclusively with the health impact of dietary lipids.

The Alexander Leaf Distinguished Scientist Award for Lifetime Achievement was established by the ISSFAL in 2002, both to honour the work of Dr Alexander Leaf and his support for ISSFAL, and to create an award for future use to recognise and reward excellence in the areas of research of relevance to ISSFAL core interests.

It is awarded every two years to an individual who in the opinion of the judges, has made a significant and sustained contribution to the science of lipids and health.