Professor John Nolan, the Howard Chair in Human Nutrition Research at the Waterford Institute of Technology, was honoured at a prestigious awards dinner in New York, held on 12th September 2019. Professor Nolan was named among the 2019 Healthcare & Life Sciences 50 announced by Irish America magazine at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. The list celebrates excellence by Irish and Irish-American leaders in fields such as medical care; pharmaceuticals; biotechnology; medical devices; research and development and life sciences venture capital.

Professor Nolan is founder and director of the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI). He is also the Principal Investigator of the Macular Pigment Research Group (a specialised group within this centre). The NRCI is part of the School of Health Science at Waterford Institute of Technology’s Carriganore campus, where the Howard Foundation UK has invested in research infrastructure, people and studies.

Presenting the awards, Patricia Harty, editor, Irish America, said: “Professor Nolan is an inspiration to all of us. His work is truly revolutionary, especially in the area of nutritional supplementation for visual function. He and the others we recognise and celebrate with our Healthcare & Life Sciences 50 do incredible work with huge positive impacts on the lives of countless people around the world. ”

Papers from the first BON  (Brain and Ocular Nutrition) Conference at Downing College, Cambridge in July 2018 have now been published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research special issue, Vol 63, Issue 15

Christine Mayer, editor-in-chief stated, “Molecular Nutrition & Food Research is excited to publish this special issue titled ‘Nutrition for the Eye and Brain’. The individual contributions have been selected by the enthusiastic guest editor, Prof. John Nolan. Together, we feel that this issue will help to bring these exciting topics into the wider community of food and nutrition scientists and to inspire collaborations and spark new approaches in nutrition-driven eye and brain research.“

In the issue’s editorial, which he dedicated to Dr. Alan Howard of the Howard Foundation, Prof. Nolan wrote: “When we speak about nutrition for the eye and brain, the default will be to provide advice and recommendations in support of good nutrition, healthy eating, a balanced diet, healthy lifestyle, and so on. While all of the above is the standard for good advice, science now suggests that we can be more specific. For example, we can now measure the macro- and micronutrients that have been identified in the eye and brain. ”

The front cover of the special issue features a digital recreation of artwork titled “Enter,” which has a special backstory: this work was created by artist Marilyn Robinson,who had previously heard Prof. Nolan deliver a guest lecture in Colorado, USA.

The next BON conference will be held in July 2021.