From thriving school students to notable professors – BNF recognises nutrition scientists at all career stages

From GSCE students to university professors, the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) has championed achievements in food and nutrition at all stages of education and careers, through a series of awards presented during the BNF Annual Day 2019.

Attended by scientists, educators, health professionals and those working in industry from across the UK, the BNF Annual Day awards ceremony comprises four key strands: The BNF Prize, Education Awards, Pump Priming Awards and Early Career Scientist Awards.

The BNF Prize for 2019 – which is awarded by the BNF’s Council in recognition and celebration of a contribution of outstanding merit in the field of food, nutrition and health – was awarded to Hilary Powers, Professor Emerita of Nutritional Biochemistry at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the role of micronutrients in the pathophysiology of human disease, including cancer, and she has previously been involved in studies into micronutrient metabolism and the functional effects of inadequate intakes, which has had relevance for optimum nutrition in developing countries.

Recognising the future nutrition scientists at the very beginning of their careers, the BNF’s Education Awards scheme was established in 1990 to promote interest in, and raise awareness of, good practice in food and nutrition. Prizes were awarded to the GCSE students who received the highest grades in food and nutrition subjects by their respective examination boards – AQA, CCEA, EDUQAS, OCR, SQA, WJEC – and the hard work and dedication of each winning student's teacher was recognised and rewarded too.

The winners of the Drummond Pump Priming Awards 2019, which supports newly-appointed university lecturers and research fellows in human nutrition, were also announced during the event. Dr David Clayton, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Nottingham Trent University and Dr Rachel Gibson, Lecturer in Nutrition & Dietetics at King’s College London, will each receive a grant of £5,000 to fund their respective human nutrition studies.

Launched in 2018, the BNF Drummond Early Career Scientist Award recognises nutrition scientists in their early career who show great potential to be future leaders in the field. Dr Henrik Roager, University of Copenhagen, has been named this year’s first place winner for his work exploring how the diet, gut microbiome and metabolome - the metabolites that are produced by gut microbes - interact to impact on health. Dr Elaine McCarthy, University College Cork was awarded one of the runners-up titles for her work on paediatric and neonatal nutrition.

The other runner up, Dr Ruairi Robertson, Queen Mary University of London, was recognised for his work on paediatric and neonatal nutrition and nutrients effect on the gut microbiota in early-life.

Each of the awards, and associated grants, have been made possible through BNF’s management of the Drummond Memorial Fund, which was established in 1954 in memory of the work of Sir Jack Drummond, who made a significant contribution to developments in the application of nutrition science for public health benefit.

Sara Stanner, Science Director at BNF said: “The BNF’s mission is to translate evidence-based nutrition science in engaging and actionable ways, and it is fantastic to be able to recognise and support the nutrition scientists who are doing just that.  Professor Hilary Powers has made an outstanding contribution to research around the science of micronutrients in the pathophysiology of human disease. Of equal importance are the nutrition scientists who are just starting out in their careers, but are already making great waves in their research – we’re delighted to recognise their achievements, while supporting their future work too.”

Commenting on the Education Awards, Roy Ballam, Managing Director and Head of Education, BNF, commented: “The Education Awards for school students and their teachers are so important for inspiring the next generation of nutrition and food scientists. Each of the young students receiving an Education Award this year has demonstrated an incredible ability, and we are also pleased to recognise the phenomenal teachers who are educating these future leaders in nutrition and health.

“A large part of the BNF’s work is supporting educators in delivering quality food and nutrition education in schools throughout the UK. In the last 12 months we have trained almost 139 teachers at dedicated workshops and nearly a further 860 have attended education webinars. On top of this, our education website, Food - a Fact of Life, was used on 303,044 occasions, and we attracted registrations from 6,943 schools, universities and workplaces for our annual BNF Healthy Eating Week. With the support and hard work of engaged teachers, we hope to continue increasing accessibility to nutrition education in the UK, creating a healthier future for all.”

The BNF Education Award 2019 student winners for GCSE and Scotland’s National 5 winners were:

• AQA - Areesha Aziz, Heckmondwike Grammar School (pictured above)
• CCEA - Kathryn Carson, Cookstown High School
• EDUQAS - Lucy Claire Burns, Belper School and Sixth Form Centre
• OCR - Kate Rigelsford, Forest School
• SQA - Amy L Petrie, Ellon Academy Community Campus (pictured above)
• WJEC – Seren Williams, Pencoedtre High School

The BNF Education Award 2019 student and teacher winners for A Level, Advanced Higher and Level 3 were:

• CCEA - Jasmine McDermott, Glenlola Collegiate
• SQA - Jenna Mowat, Brae High School
• WJEC - Scarlet Michelle Beattie, St Clement Danes School

ENDS

For further information and high resolution images please contact pressoffice@nutrition.org.uk, 01223 421 832.

About the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF)

Translating evidence-based nutrition science in engaging and actionable ways

BNF was established 50 years ago and exists to deliver authoritative, evidence-based information on food and nutrition in the context of health and lifestyle. The Foundation’s work is conducted and communicated through a unique blend of nutrition science, education and media activities. BNF’s strong governance is broad-based but weighted towards the academic community.  BNF is a registered charity that attracts funding from a variety of sources, including contracts with the European Commission, national government departments and agencies; food producers and manufacturers, retailers and food service companies; grant providing bodies, trusts and other charities. Further details about our work, governance and funding can be found on our website (www.nutrition.org.uk) and in our Annual Reports.