George L. Blackburn


George L. Blackburn was the S. Daniel Abraham Professor of Nutrition and Associate Director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School. He was also Director of the Center for the Study of Nutrition Medicine in the Roberta and Stephen R. Weiner Department of Surgery, and Director of the new Feihe Nutrition Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Early life and education

In 1965, he received his medical degree from the University of Kansas. He completed his internship and residency at Boston City Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and in 1973, earned his doctorate in nutritional biochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2008, he published the weight loss book,"Break Through Your Set Point. How to Finally Lose the Weight you Want and Keep it Off". He was a director of EChO - Eradicate Childhood Obesity Foundation, Inc. since 2015.

Death

He died from malignant melanoma on 20 February 2017 at the age of 81.

Career

Blackburn's research included the role of fatty acids and proteins on energy biochemistry, the nutrient effects of bioactive components on cellular and molecular function, the metabolic correlates of weight loss following surgical treatment of obesity, and the neurocognitive bases of exercise and eating behavior. Multidisciplinary collaborations and the dissemination of best practices in surgical, nonsurgical, and neurocognitive interventions for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related diseases are ongoing priorities. The launch of the Feihe Nutrition Laboratory will enable Blackburn to revisit research on foods for special dietary purposes, including the reengineering of formula diets using the new sciences of gut microbiota and probiotics.
Blackburn investigated the most complex issues dealing with healthy living, nutrition, cancer prevention, and the role of neurocognition in eating behavior and exercise. He trained over 100 fellows in applied and clinical nutrition, and published 486 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
He was one of the original Principal Investigators of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases' Look AHEAD trial. It examined the effects of a lifestyle intervention designed to achieve and maintain long-term weight loss through decreased caloric intake and exercise. He served as the Director of an Expert Panel on Weight Loss Surgery, and on the Board of the NIH-funded Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center. He wasthe recipient of numerous grants from the NIH and other government agencies.
Blackburn was on the editorial boards of numerous peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and the International Journal of Obesity. He also serves as a reviewer for JAMA, the New England Journal of Medicine, Diabetes Care, and many other highly esteemed publications.
Blackburn was awarded the 1988 Grace Goldsmith Award by the American College of Nutrition. In 1992, Blackburn was named an honorary member of the American Dietetic Association. In 1998, he received the Joseph Goldberger Award in Clinical Nutrition from the American Medical Association. Six years later, he was appointed a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition in recognition of his distinguished career in nutrition.

Published work