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Diane Birt was
named Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University in
2004. She was appointed Chairman of the Department
of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Director of the
Center for Designing Foods to Improve Nutrition, Iowa State
University, 1997. She served as Center Director until
2002 and as department chair until 2004. In
2002 Dr. Birt led the effort to establish the Iowa Center
for Research on Dietary Botanical Supplements at Iowa State
University and the University of Iowa with funds from the
Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH).
She has conducted
research into mechanisms whereby dietary factors modulate
carcinogenesis for almost 30 years. Her research emphasizes
identifying and studying mechanisms for cancer prevention
by novel dietary constituents and studying mechanisms for
cancer enhancement by overeating and obesity. She
has over 100 publications.
She received a
Bachelors degree from Whittier College in 1971 and a Ph.D.
from Purdue University, West Lafayette, in 1975. She
moved from Assistant Professor at Iowa State University
from 1975-1976 to Assistant Professor at the Eppley Institute
for Research in Cancer at the University of Nebraska Medical
Center, Omaha, NE in 1976, where she was promoted to Full
Professor in the Eppley Institute and in the Departments
of Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1988.
She was interim Chairman of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center from 1991-1994.
She has been very
active with professional societies, American Society for
Nutritional Sciences (ASNS) and the American Association
for Cancer Research (AACR). has served on the editorial
board of the Journal of Nutrition and Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention; and she is
presently an Associate Editor for Cancer Research.
She has served on National Academy of Science and Institute
of Medicine committees and she was a scientific advisor
for the ILSI N.A. Food, Nutrition and Safety Committee.
She is presently a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors
for the National Toxicology Program (US Department of Health).
The American Association
for Cancer Research named Diane Birt the winner of the 2001
DeWitt Goodman Memorial Lectureship.
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