Dr. Suh (L) accepts her honorarium from St. Boniface Hospital Foundation President & CEO, Karen Fowler.
Congratulations to Dr. Miyoung Suh, Principal Investigator in the Division of Neurodegenerative Disorders and Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine at the St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre for being awarded the 2022 Ronald Duhamel Innovation Fund Award.
Honouring the late St. Boniface Member of Parliament and Senator Ronald Duhamel, this annual award supports leadership in the advancement of health care at St. Boniface Hospital. It includes a cash honorarium, which for 2022 was $12,156.38.
Dr. Suh is a world leader in the field of nutrition and dietetics. One of her areas of specialization is the role of maternal nutrition in reducing the impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This is vitally important because FASD is a preventable developmental disability, resulting from fetal exposure to alcohol during pregnancy, affecting 400,000 Canadians and 3,000 infants annually.
Dr. Suh’s research focuses on identifying early nutrition intervention strategies during pregnancy and lactation, which may be key in preventing or mitigating the severity of FASD.
Partnering with First Nations Communities in Manitoba, her research team found more than 85% of pregnant women with alcohol consumption were not meeting recommended omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) requirements, a vital structural component of the brain required for optimal fetal brain development and function.
A study is underway to test the efficacy of DHA to ward off alchohol-induced effects during this vital growth stage. The outcomes of this study will ultimately inform care and enhance the health of mothers and infants at St. Boniface Hospital.
St. Boniface Hospital Foundation thanks everyone who submitted a nomination for the 2022 Ronald Duhamel Innovation Fund Award and is pleased to announce this year’s award recipient.