Congratulations to Professor Nita Forouhi on being elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship.

Nita is one of 58 exceptional biomedical and health scientists to be elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences this year, in recognition for their remarkable contributions to advancing biomedical and health sciences, ground-breaking research discoveries and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.

As Professor of Population Health and Nutrition, Nita leads our Nutritional Epidemiology programme, where her work focuses on the link between diet, nutrition and the risk of diabetes, obesity and related disorders. Her recent research publications have covered topics included measuring blood biomarkers to evaluate Mediterranean diet health benefits, the nuances of disease risk associated with saturated fat consumption, and the impact of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables on type 2 diabetes risk.

Nita frequently engages with the media and policy makers to promote knowledge in the area of diet and health. In 2016 Nita was awarded the University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor’s Best Impact Award in recognition of her work building evidence, awareness and policy impact on the relationship between dietary sugar and fat, and health, including research that made a key contribution to the evidence base supporting the introduction of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy. Her research has also been cited in World Health Organization guidance on non-sugar sweeteners published in 2022, and in a recent decision by the US Food and Drug Administration on a health claim relating to youghurt and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

MRC Epidemiology Unit Director Professor Nick Wareham welcomed the award:

I am delighted to learn that our colleague Professor Nita Forouhi has been made a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an accolade that she richly deserves.

Nita has not only made an outstanding contribution to our understanding of how what we eat affects our health, but by engaging with both policy makers and the wider public has ensured that that knowledge is improving the health of people across the UK and beyond.

In his statement accompanying the announcement of this year’s Fellowships, Professor Andrew Morris PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, highlighted the importance of taking “meaningful steps to ensure our Fellowship reflects the rich diversity of the society we serve”. Building a diverse and positive work culture is something that Nita has long been passionate about, and sought to promote through her roles as the Athena Swan and equality and diversity lead for the MRC Epidemiology Unit, as well as more widely in the University through her role as Director of Organisational Affairs at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, chair of the School’s Athena Swan Governance Group, and past membership of the University of Cambridge race equality charter team.