Memories of Doris Howes Calloway sought for book

Doris Howes Calloway was a pioneer in the early development of human nutritional science.

Several of Calloway's former students are working on a book chronicling her role in establishing the research base for addressing nutrition and health problems across the lifespan.

If you knew Calloway, and would be willing to write a few sentences on your interactions with her, please contact Mary Blackburn at mlblackburn@ucanr.edu.

A renowned human nutrition scientist, Calloway was recruited as chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at UC Berkeley in 1961. She is known worldwide for her pioneering metabolic research in food irradiation, food composition, nutritional needs during space travel, protein and energy requirements, nutrient needs during pregnancy and lactation, and functional consequences of malnutrition on health and well-being of populations – particularly vulnerable populations. Of note is her work on the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council and Food and Nutrition Board to establish the 1969-1974 and 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances, and her advocacy on the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Nutritional Sciences for the reduction of hunger and malnutrition.

As the first woman appointed to the position of provost at UC Berkeley, she advocated forcefully, and persistently, for hiring and promoting women, and for racial/ethnic diversity among faculty. In 1999, the Regents of the University of California created an endowed chair in human nutrition at Berkeley in her name. 

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