School of Human Ecology Director’s Speaker Series

Dr. Rob Russell

Professor Emeritus
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Tufts University
and
Former Director and Senior Scientist
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

"The Fascinating World of Carotenoids and Retinoids"

Dr. Russell’s lecture will examine what went wrong with the Beta-Carotene Lung Cancer Trials describing his work on the rationale and results of the subsequent (mechanistic) animal and cellular studies.  Excentric cleavage (an important metabolic pathway of breakdown when carotenes are present at high dosage in an oxidative environment) of beta carotene and lycopene gives rise to  metabolites- some of which appear to be helpful and some of which may be harmful in terms of carcinogenesis. 

Switching gears, he will then talk about the global scope of vitamin A deficiency, and the derivation of the DRIs for vitamin A- including the relationship between carotenoids and retinoids (vitamin A equivalency, depending on food matrix). He will include new approaches for combating the stubborn global problem of vitamin A deficiency, and new approaches for deriving more accurate estimates of vitamin A requirements and upper levels.

Dr. Russel is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Nutrition at Tufts University.  Dr Russell has served on many national and international advisory boards including the USDA Human Investigation Committee (Chairman), the FDA, US Pharmacopoeia Convention, National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the American Board of Internal Medicine.  He has worked on international nutrition programs in several countries including Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Guatemala, China, and the Philippines.