Simin Meydani

Simin Nikbin Meydani is an Iranian-American nutrition scientist and professor^[1] who is the Vice Provost of Research at Tufts University.

She is the lab director of the Nutrition and Immunology Lab at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (HNRCA), Professor of Nutrition and Immunology at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy^[2] and the Tufts Sackler Graduate Program in Immunology.^[3]

Biography

Meydani was born in Tehran, Iran and was educated at Hadaf High School in Tehran.^[1] She received her D.V.M. degree in Veterinary Medicine from University of Tehran in 1975, a master's degree in nutrition from Colorado State University in 1977 and a Doctor of Nutrition degree from Iowa State University in 1981. She was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health from 1981 to 1983^[1] and then was appointed Senior Research Associate in the Department of Biology at Brandeis University from 1983 to 1984. She additionally earned a certificate in Molecular Immunology at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA in 1985.

In 1984, Meydani joined the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University as a visiting scientist.^[4] After 6 years of research positions there, she became Lab Director of the Nutritional Immunology Laboratory at the Center in 1990.^[5] She was also a Hedwig van Amerigen Executive Leadership fellow in the Academic Medicine Program at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA in 2006.

Vice Provost for Research at Tufts University

Meydani was named the Vice Provost for research in September 2016.^{[citation needed][6]}

Scientific work

According to her profile at Tufts,^[7] her scientific interests^[8] include the impact of nutrition on the aging process and age-associated diseases; role of nutrition on immune and inflammatory responses and predisposition to infectious diseases in developed and less developed countries.^[8]

Awards and recognitions

Awards

^[9]

• Iowa State University, Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, 2013
• Helen LeBaron Hilton Distinguished Alumni Award, Iowa State University, 2011
• Food Science and Human Nutrition Alumni Impact Award, Iowa State University, 2011
• Robert H. Herman Award in Clinical Nutrition, American Society of Nutrition, 2008
• Denham Harman Life Time Research Achievement Award, American Aging Association, 2003
• Grace Goldsmith Award. American College of Nutrition, 2001
• American Institute of Nutrition Lederle Award in Human Nutrition, 1998
• Tufts University Faculty Recognition for Outstanding Achievement (1995–96, 1997–1998)
• International Nutritional Immunology Group Award, 1993
• International HERMES Vitamin Research Award, 1993
• Denham Harman Lecture Award of American College of Advancement in Medicine, 1990
• USDA-ARS Citation of Merit for manuscript "Vitamin E Enhances Cell-Mediated Immunity in Healthy Elderly Subjects," Meydani et al., Am J Clin Nutr 52:557-563, 1990."
• Pahlavi Royal Gold Medal for outstanding Tehran University college graduate, 1975
• Alborz Institute Award as valedictorian of Tehran University Veterinary School class, 1975

Honors

• 2012-13 Vice-President elect, American Society for Nutrition, President 2014^[10]
• Jean Andrews Centennial Visiting Professorship, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 2010^[11]
• Hedwig van Amerigen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program (Drexel University College of Medicine), 2005-2006^[12]
• President, American Aging Association, 2005-2006^[13]
• Malcolm Trout Annual Visiting Scholar. Michigan State University, 2001
• Welcome Visiting Professorship, Iowa State University, 1998^[14]

Other activities

• Co-chair and Organizer, FASEB Summer Conference on Nutrition and Immune Response, 2003, 2007, 2011^[14]
• Co-organizer, Women in Science & Medicine Symposium for American Society for Nutrition at Experimental Biology 2010, Anaheim, California.
• Chair, Tufts Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine Symposium, 2008, Boston, MA^[4]
• Organizer and Chair: Aging: Mechanism and Prevention: 35th Annual Meeting of AGE, Boston, June 2006.^[15]
• Organizing Committee, First and Second International Aging and Immunology Meeting, 1998, 2001^[14]
• Chair and Organizing Committee, International Life Sciences Institute Conference on Nutrition and Immunity, 1997^[14]

Professional affiliations

• American Society of Nutrition, Vice President-Elect^[16]
• American Aging Association, Board Member^[14]
• American College of Nutrition, Chair, Council on Immunology, Hematology, and Oncology^[17]

Selected publications

Her most cited papers ^[18] are

• Meydani S, Meydani M, Blumberg JB, et al. "Vitamin E Supplementation and In Vivo Immune Response in Healthy Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial". JAMA. 1997; 277(17):1380-1386. doi:10.1001/jama.1997.03540410058031 (cited by 560 articles in Google Scholar) ^[18]
• S N Meydani, et al. "Vitamin E supplementation enhances cell-mediated immunity in healthy elderly subjects. " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition September 1990 vol. 52 no. 3 557-563
• Meydani, S N; et al. (1991). "Oral (n-3) fatty acid supplementation suppresses cytokine production and lymphocyte proliferation: comparison between young and older women". Journal of Nutrition. 121 (4): 547–555. doi:10.1093/jn/121.4.547. PMID 2007907.