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Research Scientist
Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Lindsay H. Allen, Ph.D., is a Research Physiologist and former Director of the USDA ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC). Dr. Allen studies the prevalence, causes and consequences of micronutrient deficiencies, primarily in developing countries, using randomized, controlled human trials testing micronutrient supplements, food fortification, and food-based approaches to improve nutritional status, pregnancy outcome and child development, described in her ≈350 publications. She has increased awareness of the globally high prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency, its adverse consequences and response to food-based and supplementation interventions. She uses novel methods to measure vitamin B12 absorption and functional effects of B12 supplementation of deficient population groups, including metabolomics. Her current focus is on micronutrients in human milk including analytical methods, development of Reference Values, and effective interventions for increasing low milk concentrations. Dr. Allen served as President of the Society for International Nutrition Research. She received the Kellogg Prize from the Society for International Nutrition Research, and the McCollum International Lectureship and Conrad A. Elvehjem Award for Public Service in Nutrition from the American Society for Nutrition. She is past Vice President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences, serves on the International Micronutrient Forum, chaired the Vitamin B12 Expert Panel for NIH’s Biomarkers in Nutrition and Development, and received the Outstanding Investigator of the Year Award from the Vitamins and Minerals Research Interest Section of the American Society for Nutrition, and the Career Achievement in Evidence Translation Award from the Mathile Institute. Dr. Allen is currently President-of the American Society for Nutrition.