March of Dimes Honors Dr. William W. Hay, Jr. for Outstanding Work in Maternal-Fetal Nutrition

BOSTON, NOV. 6, 2006 – William W. Hay Jr., Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, today received the March of Dimes Agnes Higgins Award for outstanding achievement in the field of maternal-fetal nutrition.

The $3,000 award was presented to Dr. Hay, Vice President/President-Elect of the American Pediatric Society, at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), which is being held here. The ceremony took place during a joint session of the APHA's Food and Nutrition and Maternal-Child Health sections.

Dr. Hay is widely recognized as one of the country's most distinguished academic pediatricians and a strong mentor of young scientists. Dr. Hay – whose nutrition research career has spanned 34 years – has scientific interests in fetal and neonatal nutrition, intrauterine fetal growth and fetal growth restriction, all of which have relevance to the topic of fetal origins of adult diseases. In particular, he is recognized internationally for his contributions to the understanding of fetal glucose and amino acid deprivation. Findings from a study Dr. Hay conducted with colleagues in Scotland regarding the growth and metabolism of the undernourished fetus explain the recent discovery that abnormal fetal nutrition one of the most powerful predictors of obesity and diabetes in later life.

Dr. Hay is the author of numerous landmark books and papers that have become required reading for many pediatricians in training across the United States.

Dr. Hay received a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and his MD from the Yale University School of Medicine.

Agnes Higgins was the longtime director of Canada's Montreal Diet Dispensary, a precursor of American government nutrition programs for pregnant women. A pioneer in devising methods of nutritional assessment and counseling, she greatly advanced the understanding of diet as a crucial factor in healthy pregnancy and prevention of low birthweight. The award was created by the March of Dimes in her honor in 1980.      
                                    
The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  For more information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org for Spanish.