Dr. Katherine “Kathy” Ross has made significant contributions to the science of nutrition, particularly experimental nutrition, during her distinguished career spanning more than 40 years. Nutrition JournalThe magazine, where Ross served as editor-in-chief from 2004 to 2013, honored her by establishing the A. Katharine Ross Award in Experimental Nutrition.
Ross is a professor in the Department of Nutrition in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He is also a member of the Texas A&M Institute for Health Promotion through Agriculture (IHA), a division within Texas A&M AgriLife Research, where he serves as scientific director of the Maternal and Child Cohort Study.
Her joining the IHA will support the Governor’s University Research Initiative, which is focused on helping Texas higher education institutions recruit distinguished researchers from around the world.
“The award named after Dr. Ross symbolizes the important research taking place at the Texas A&M Institute for Promoting Health Through Agriculture,” said Dr. G. Cliff Lamb, director of AgriLife Research and interim director of the institute. “We couldn’t be more proud of Dr. Ross’s research and accomplishments, and look forward to continuing to support all of her innovations.”
About the New Experimental Nutrition Award
This new award, sponsored by Research Diets Inc., has been established to encourage new submissions of and recognize outstanding nutrition research involving animal models and/or laboratory diets. The award is presented annually to one or more first authors of outstanding research papers published in the journal during the previous year.
The study’s lead author will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the winner will be recognized at the American Academy of Nutrition’s annual scientific meeting.
“It’s a great honor for me to receive this award and I couldn’t be more honored,” said Ross. Nutrition Journal “My ten years in this lab have been both an honor and a learning experience that I will always treasure. Each and every fascinating paper we have published has reminded me that every discovery and breakthrough in nutrition research is not only a testament to the scientific talent of its authors, but also a stepping stone for others to innovate and further explore the complex relationship between food and health.”
Dr. Shingen Lei, the current editor-in-chief of the journal, said the journal’s editorial board Nutrition Journal We are pleased to establish this award to recognize Ross’s achievements as an outstanding educator, leader and scientist.
“Dr. Ross’s vision, leadership and research excellence are Nutrition Journal“With this as our flagship journal, we aim to advance fundamental discoveries and practical applications of nutrition science around the world,” Ray said.
Dr. Ross’s contributions to public health through nutrition
Dr. Ross’s 40+ year career has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to academic and public service, and she is nationally known and respected for her research on vitamins A and D, pregnancy, lactation, and neonatal lung and immune responses, including investigating innovative approaches to improve maternal and child health outcomes and reduce the risk of chronic disease due to inadequate nutrition.
“Kathy’s contributions have significantly enhanced our holistic approach to public health nutrition with an emphasis on maternal and child health,” said department chair David Threadgill, PhD. “She has been at the forefront of integrating basic science with the application of new knowledge to improve human health.”
Ross said the field of nutritional science continues to demystify nutrition and contribute to improving nutrition around the world.
“In my own research, I seek to blend my training in nutrition and biochemistry with concepts from immunology and genetics to understand how micronutrients such as vitamin A work in cells and throughout the body,” Roth says. “The long-term goal is to gain knowledge that will lead to better health outcomes and advance human potential.”
Ross earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, and his master’s degree in nutrition and doctorate in biochemistry from Cornell University.
She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has served as a science advisor to the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Ross has published over 270 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and reviews.
