Dr Heather Eicher-Miller, Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition Science of the College of Health and Human Sciences at the University of Purdue, USA, is the laureate of the 3rd Edition of the Danone International Prize for Alimentation (DIPA) for her groundbreaking research into “Improving food security, dietary intake, and health through integrated science and engineering approaches”.
Contributing to reduce food insecurity and improve access to resources which enhance health.
Dr. Eicher-Miller’s research is focused on food insecurity which affects 11% of U.S. households and creates uncertainty regarding the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods. Her work has documented immediate and chronic adverse dietary and health outcomes associated with food insecurity among diverse populations.
Her efforts to evaluate and create evidence-based interventions, programs, and policies has reduced food insecurity and improved access to resources which enhance health.
She has also developed novel analytical and methodological techniques, including temporal dietary patterning, to more effectively quantify and evaluate the relationship between food insecurity, diet, and health.
Addressing food insecurity
Food insecurity is an unsolved problem, associated with poor dietary intake, health outcomes and shorter lifespans.
The U.S.A. produces enough food to meet the dietary needs of its entire population, however, food insecurity remains. Solving food security and the related dietary and health problems implies more healthful environments and policies, and changing individual behaviors.
Dr. Eicher-Miller’s goal is to improve dietary intake and health of low-resource groups and eliminate food insecurity.
She addresses the complexity of these problems with pioneering integration of multidisciplinary team science in health, exercise, social, and computer sciences, family studies, community development, statistics, and engineering to find sustainable and effective solutions.
Her research is focused in three key areas: Investigating food environments and policies, Improving and creating new interventions and Changing food behaviors.
An integrated scientific approach recognized by the DIPA jury
One year after the beginning of the application process and preselection among 20 applications from all over the World, the Jury of the 3rd edition of the Danone International Prize for Alimentation gathered in April 2023 to analyze the eight exciting and promising finalists’ applications. The DIPA jury voted and awarded the work of Dr Heather Eicher-Miller, recognizing Dr Eicher-Miller innovative work associating engineering and multidisciplinary approaches.
“The jury of DIPA awards Heather Eicher-Miller for her strong contribution to the field of Alimentation; her ability to lead interdisciplinary teams; and her commitment to mobilize her findings to effect real, lasting change on food insecurity.” – Prof. Michael Prelip, president of the jury of the 3rd edition of the DIPA
The online Award Ceremony and Lecture will take place on June, 20st, 2023
Registration for free access through the online form.
For more information: www.danoneinstitute.org
The Danone International Prize for Alimentation is organized by the Danone Institute International in collaboration with the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale.
