The Asia Pacific Clinical Nutrition Society 2006 Award

Corazon Veron Cruz Barba is a Professor and current Director of the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food, College of Human Ecology, University of the Philippines (IHNF, CHE, UPLB) at Los Baños, Laguna; and was the former Director of Food and Nutrition Research Institute, a Research and Development Institute under the Department of Science and Technology. A native of Manila, she was born 01 September 1941 and now makes her home at Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. She earned her undergraduate degree in nutrition, magna cum laude, at the Philippine Women’s University in 1961. She then pursued higher studies in the United States, first at the University of Hawaii at Honolulu as an East-West Center Fellow, where she earned her masters’ degree in food science in 1966, and later at Pennsylvania State
University as a World Bank Fellow, where she graduated with a doctorate degree in nutrition in 1980.

In 1968, Dr. Barba joined the faculty of the College of Human Ecology of UP Los Baños, the same year she placed sixth in the board exams for food technologists. As an educator, she contributed significantly to the strengthening of UPLB-CHE’s food, nutrition and dietetics programs. Her achievements as a professor and academic program adviser did not go unnoticed. She was the recipient of several prestigious individual honors such as, among others, the UPLB Distinguished Teacher Award for Biological Sciences in 1985, University of the Philippines System Outstanding Faculty Award in 1985, the 1990 Outstanding Nutritionist-Dietitian Award in Education and Research by the Nutritionist- Dietitian Association of the Philippines (NDAP), the Outstanding Nutritionist-Dietitian of the Year in 1994 from the Professional Regulations Commission, NDAP’s Leadership in Nutrition and Dietetics Award in 1995, the San Miguel Corporation Professorial Chair in 1996, the Philippine Association of Nutrition Fellow for Nutrition Administration in 2002 and one of the Century Women in Health Sciences (1900-2000) in 2004.

As a researcher, she authored and co-authored an impressive number of technical articles and papers in her chosen field. Until recently, Dr. Barba was a regular contributor to magazines and popular publications, even appearing as a columnist with the People’s Journal from 1998 to 1999. Such efforts won for her and her profession a wider understanding of and appreciation for her life’s work. Dr. Barba’s professional reputation is recognized not only in the Philippines but also overseas. She is frequently invited to speak and lecture before international gatherings, oftentimes being desinated/selected as chair of certain sessions, if not the entire forum, especially those requiring harmonization or consensus – building such as in the 5th International Conference on Dietary Assessment Methods at Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2003; the 9th Asian Congress of Nutrition in New Delhi, India in 2003; the 1998 Asian Conference on Early Childhood Nutrition, Growth, Health, and Economics in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is the chairman of the ILSI-SEA RDA Harmonization Project which aims to harmonize the concepts used in the RDA of the SEA countries. Dr. Barba is a visiting lecturer at the SEAMEO-TROPMED RCCN, University of Indonesia and initiated the inception of the South East Asian Nutrition Leadership Program (SEA-NLP) through the SEA Network spearheaded by SEAMEO-TROPMED RCCN UI.

Dr. Barba also held positions of importance in nutrition- and dietetics-based organizations. She is the current President of the Nutritionist-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines and an Executive Trustee of the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines, among others. As the FNRI Director, Dr. Barba was responsible for steering the Institute toward new heights of achievement and excellence. Under her leadership, the FNRI completed the timely dissemination of the results of the 5th National Nutrition Survey of 1998, which led to the formulation of new and/or clearly-defined policy directions toward food fortification and increased nutritional awareness. She initiated the production of the Philippine Nutrition Facts and Figures, a body reference on the nutrition situation of the country. The data collection for the 6th National Nutrition Survey of 2003 was successfully conducted through public-private sector alliances. Urgently needed FNRI – developed nutrition education tools and publications became available and made useful through relentless promotion drives among varied group of stakeholders. Moreover, the FNRI’s Food Analytical Service Laboratory became the first government food testing facility to be ISO-certified. Dr. Corazon VC. Barba is married to Dr. Ramon C. Barba, a respected agriculturist – scientist, with whom she has a son – an accomplished economist. Her many contributions to the nutritional health and well-being of the peoples of the Asia Pacific region make her eminently worthy of the Asia Pacific Clinical Nutrition Society Award for 2005.

Mark L Wahlqvist AO, MD, FRACP

Editor-in-Chief

Immediate Past President, APCNS

President, IUNS