Emory Honors Nutrition Expert Reynaldo
Martorell By Alma Freeman
As a child growing up in Honduras, Reynaldo Martorell had a front
seat to the effects poverty and malnutrition had on his community.
Life in Honduras had a profound impact on Martorell, Robert W.
Woodruff Professor of International Nutrition and chair of the
Hubert Department of Global Health in the Rollins School of Public
Health (RSPH), who later chose to focus on human development and
nutrition as a graduate student. Recognized today as a leading
nutrition expert, Martorell’s focus and dedication to improving
global health has changed very little since.
“My father worked as an office clerk for the Standard Fruit
Company and I grew up and went to school in settlements that housed
workers for banana plantations,” Martorell explained. His
father’s position required that the family move often, and
by the time he was in sixth grade, Martorell had already attended
three different schools.
“I saw plenty of poverty in rural Honduras, particularly
in villages outside the plantation sector that depended on subsistence
agriculture. I remember feeling fortunate that our family had
a reliable income, enough to eat, piped water, a toilet, and electricity
– necessities which many Hondurans still don’t have,”
he continued.
Martorell was recognized for his achievements as the recipient
of the 2008 Marion V. Creekmore Award for Internationalization
at the International Awards Night ceremony in March. The Creekmore
Award, named for Emory’s first Vice Provost for International
Affairs Marion Creekmore, was established in 2000 by Coca-Cola
executive and Emory benefactor Claus M. Halle and is given each
year to an Emory faculty member who excels in the advancement
of the University’s commitment to internationalization.
“Dr. Martorell has done much to build Emory’s visibility
on the world stage, and I can think of no one more deserving of
this honor,” said RSPH Dean James W. Curran. “In addition
to his prolific research, writing, leadership, and service, Rey’s
steadfast dedication to his family and colleagues is admired by
all.”
Martorell, whose primary focus is to understand the causes and
consequences of malnutrition in pregnancy and early childhood
and to use this information to influence policy makers to design
effective programs, has led the Department of Global Health since
1996. During his tenure, the department has significantly expanded
the size of its faculty and student body as well as its research
base and academic programs. The author of over 170 articles, over
80 book chapters and scientific proceedings, and over 20 books
and monographs, Martorell serves as a member of the Advisory Council
of Emory’s Global Health Institute, the Institute for Developing
Nations, and Emory’s International Affairs Council. Martorell
is vice-chair of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation,
a director of the International Nutrition Foundation, and an advisor
to UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank.
Prior to joining Emory in 1993, Martorell held positions at Cornell
University, Stanford University, and the Institute of Nutrition
of Central America and Panama (INCAP) in Guatemala. The recipient
of a number of awards and honors, Martorell was elected to the
Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and
in 2003, received the International Nutrition Prize from Kellogg’s
and the American Society for Nutrition.
Martorell will soon step down from chairing the Department of
Global Health so that he can dedicate significantly more of his
time to research and field studies overseas.
“I sometimes tease our colleagues who work on domestic issues
that they have it easy in that they don’t have to travel
to get to their study sites,” Martorell joked. “In
order to run a good study, one needs excellent in-country partners,
and even if you are lucky enough to find them, you still need
to travel to the sites frequently to jointly supervise.”
As a res ult, Martorell must juggle the rising demands of travel.
During his 15 years at Emory, he has accumulated about two million
miles on Delta alone.
Considering that some of the most rewarding moments of his career
are happening right now, said Martorell, the demand to travel
looks to only increase. He and his colleagues are currently working
on a cohort study in Guatemala and recently published a series
of papers linking nutrition in early childhood to outcomes in
adulthood, including adult heath, schooling, intellectual functioning,
and economic productivity. In the medical journal, The Lancet,
the team showed that improving nutrition during the critical first
two years of life increases wages of adult men by 46 percent.
“These findings represent a great deal of effort by many
colleagues and are the first to directly link a nutrition intervention
in children with long-term outcomes such as wages. Our studies
are important because they provide an additional ‘economic
investment’ rationale for nutrition programs aimed at mothers
and young children. States should implement these programs not
only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it
is the wise thing to do,” said Martorell.
Martorell was recently invited by the Chinese government to open
a high-level forum on “Undernutrition, Health, and Economic
Development” in Beijing. He hopes that the event will lead
to more investment in nutrition and health programs for women
and children in China.
Despite his numerous achievements, Martorell faces a number of
challenges, including remaining optimistic when the magnitude
of global health problems is so vast.
“It is easy to get discouraged by the slow progress that
is often made,” he said. “We have to keep reminding
ourselves that when seen in 5- or 10-year blocks, trends show
significant improvement for most indicators in most countries.”
Martorell’s award came with a $10,000 gift for research.
Law School Alum Sheth Award Winner
David Tkeshelashvili, a native of the nation of Georgia and graduate
of Emory Law School and the State Minister for Regional Issues,
was honored during the ceremony as the recipient of the Sheth
Distinguished International Alumni Award. The annual Sheth Award,
established by Madhu and Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor
of Marketing, recognizes Emory’s international alumni who
have gone on to achieve prominence in their careers around the
world.
Tkeshelashvili was honored for his work in international law and
his service to his country through his dedication to improving
human rights law standards and practices. A participant in the
Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program during his time at
Emory from 2005-06, Tkeshelashvili previously served as Georgia’s
Minister of Health, Labor, and Social Welfare and from 2006-07,
as the Minister of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
Elected to Parliament in 1995 at the age of 25, Tkeshelashvili
was re-elected to Parliament on the party list of Georgia’s
current President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement.
“In accepting this prestigious award let me remind you that
I am a man of the particular generation, that lived in the Soviet
Union and experienced the Soviet occupation,” Tkeshelashvili
said. “When the Soviet Union collapsed it was our generation
that accepted the challenge of building an independent state.
… During this decisive period of our history, the United
States was one the of first countries to extend a hand of fraternity
and friendship to Georgians in support of freedom, democracy,
and security.”
As a Muskie Fellow, Tkeshelashvili concentrated on the subject
of international law. Active in both his home and host communities,
Tkeshelashvili was engaged in projects to create partnerships
between Georgians and Americans, including work with the Atlanta-Tbilisi
Sister City Partnership and collaboration with Emory faculty on
joint projects with the Ministries of Education, Agriculture,
and Health of Georgia. While in Atlanta, Tkeshelashvili also received
training at The Carter Center Human Rights Program.
“David is an outstanding example of what international students
bring to our community – a desire to learn about our nation’s
laws and institutions and a capacity to impart a comparative perspective
to our classes and students,” said David F. Partlett, dean
of Emory Law School and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law.
Alma Freeman is the communications specialist for the Office of
International Affairs and The Halle Institute.
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