New Theme Leader for Whole Body Metabolism

Dr Wendy Hall, Kings College London

Iam delighted to have this opportunity to introduce myself as Theme Leader for Whole Body Metabolism (WBM).

I would like to thank Professor Bruce Griffin for all his contributions as the previous Theme Leader and I look forward to continuing his hard work in promoting and supporting the Society’s scientific activities. In my role as Reader in Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London, I teach BSc and MSc Nutrition & Dietetics students, and also carry out nutrition research. I have been conducting human dietary intervention studies in the field of cardio-metabolic health for over 20 years, and I have been a member of the Nutrition Society for a similar length of time. The procedures involved in conducting nutrition trials have transformed over this period with the introduction of greater controls for data protection, human tissue storage, ethical committee review, and standards for clinical trial reporting. These important changes have evolved in response to deficiencies that existed previously and are generally beneficial, but they also present nutritional scientists who conduct whole body metabolism studies with even greater challenges in terms of staffing, expertise, time and resources. My experiences conducting human metabolic studies during my research career at the Universities of Surrey, Reading and King’s College London mean that I have a deep understanding of the highs and lows of conducting this type of research, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of applying pharmaceutical research paradigms to dietary interventions. Sometimes the methodological approaches taken to address important nutritional questions in the prevention of chronic diseases can provoke intense debates about lack of reproducibility