Frank Hu receives award for diabetes epidemiology research

June 23, 2010 — Frank B. Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, will receive the American Diabetes Association’s prestigious Kelly West Award for Outstanding Achievement in Epidemiology. The award, given in memory of Kelly West, widely regarded as the “father of diabetes epidemiology,” will be presented at the Association’s 70th Scientific Sessions that will take place in Orlando, Florida, June 25-29, 2010. The award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of diabetes epidemiology.

“I am honored to receive the Kelly West Award from the American Diabetes Association,” said Hu. “Dr. West’s visionary leadership in diabetes epidemiology and prevention has inspired generations of diabetes researchers including myself. I’m humbled to join the distinguished ranks of former recipients.”

Hu, also a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on diabetes epidemiology, especially in the area of nutrition, lifestyle, and gene-environment interactions. He is the principal investigator of the diabetes component of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-based Nurses’ Health Study, one of the largest and longest running investigations of factors that influence women’s health. His current research also includes collaborations with researchers from China and India in diabetes epidemiologic and intervention studies, and his efforts have brought attention to the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes worldwide.

See all the 2010 winners of the American Diabetes Association National Achievement Awards.

–Amy Roeder