Trinity Scientist is the first Irish recipient of the Sir David Cuthbertson Medal

Posted on: 19 March 2014

Maria O’Sullivan, Associate Professor in Human Nutrition, in the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, was recently awarded the Sir David Cuthbertson Medal by the Nutrition Society at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. 

Associate Professor O’Sullivan is the first Irish recipient of the Cuthbertson medal in the 23 years since its initiation. Awarded annually since 1990, this honour is awarded to scientists for excellence in nutrition/metabolism research that provides an evidence base for clinical practice.

Maria O’Sullivan, Associate Professor in Human Nutrition, in the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin with the Sir David Cuthbertson Medal by the Nutrition Society.

Associate Professor O’Sullivan’s keynote lecture at the College of Surgeons, London and subsequent Cuthbertson medal paper is entitled ‘Vitamin D as an anti-inflammatory therapy – new hope or false dawn?‘ It will be published as a review paper in the journal ‘Proceedings of the Nutrition Society’ in 2014.

Speaking about the significance of this medal award, Associate Professor O’Sullivan said: “It was a privilege to receive this award in London, especially as the first Irish recipient. This award recognises not just the importance of nutrition research but also its translation to disease prevention and management.”

“Much of my work has focused on the role for vitamin D in inflammation and immunity, primarily in inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The presentation provided a critical evaluation of the several strands of scientific evidence surrounding vitamin D and inflammation, primarily focussing on IBD. Much of this data is exciting and promising including emerging work from my own group. There is, however, a continued need for large well-designed intervention studies as well as mechanistic studies, to determine if this new emerging promise translates into tangible clinical benefits for patients with lifelong chronic debilitating inflammatory diseases, such as IBD,” she said.

Further information and previous winners may be found here: http://www.nutritionsociety.org/winners-sir-david-cuthbertson-medal