sealPurdue News
_____

February 6, 1998

Nutritionist to speak Feb. 13 about Vitamin B and pregnancy

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Mary Francis Picciano, a professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University, will lecture about "Folate Nutrition and Reproductive Health" on Friday, Feb. 13, at Purdue University.

She will speak at 10:30 a.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Call (765) 494-8231 for reservations.

Picciano has conducted research about maternal, infant and child nutrition for more than 25 years and has published more than 100 journal articles. She will speak about how to prevent the deficiency of folic acid, a B vitamin, that has been found in women during their early pregnancy. This deficiency leads to the high risk of infants being born with birth defects and diseases.

The lecture is part of the Avanelle Kirksey Lecture Series. Kirksey was a faculty member of the Department of Foods and Nutrition from 1961 to 1994. In 1985, she became the second female distinguished professor at Purdue. Kirksey will attend the Picciano lecture.

CONTACT: Connie Weaver, head of the Department of Foods and Nutrition, (765) 494-8231; e-mail, weavercm@cfs.purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu

* To the Purdue News and Photos Page