The Ralph Holman Lifetime Achievement Award of the AOCS Health and Nutrition Division recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the Division’s area of interest, or whose work has resulted in major advances in health and nutrition.
This award commemorates Ralph Holman’s lifetime service to the study of essential fatty acids and their impact on human health and to the Society. Dr. Holman was not only an accomplished biochemist, but a devoted father and husband, a man of integrity and a role model for students and young scientists.
What does the recipient receive?
- Plaque
- US $500 honorarium
- Up to a US $1,000 travel allowance
- Complimentary Health and Nutrition Division meal ticket
- Opportunity to present an award lecture at the AOCS Annual Meeting
Who is eligible?
Scientists who have made significant lifetime contributions in areas of interest to health and nutrition
How do I nominate someone?
Login to the Awards Portal to submit the following nomination materials and answer two questions about the nominee.
- Letter of nomination describing the candidate’s research and service in the fields of fats, oils and related materials
- At least three letters of support from individuals familiar with the candidate’s accomplishments
- Curriculum Vitae which includes a full list of publications and patents
Most Recent Recipient
Ken Stark became interested in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids while completing his B.Sc. (Honours) at the University of Toronto while taking a fourth-year nutrition course taught by Dr. Stephen Cunnane. He then completed a Ph.D. at the University of Guelph examining the effect of fish oil supplementation on postmenopausal women under the supervision of Dr. Bruce Holub He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health under the direction of Dr. Norman Salem Jr. examining changes in docosahexaenoic acid status during pregnancy and began developing high- throughput gas chromatography techniques for fatty acid analyses. Dr. Stark joined the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo as a Professor in 2004. At Waterloo, he continued the development and use of high-throughput fatty acid analyses, examined sex differences and the effect of pregnancy on polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism, and explored the use of tandem mass spectrometry as a Canada Research Chair in Nutritional Lipidomics. Dr. Stark has over 140 peer-reviewed publications and his insights on the use of blood biomarkers to assess the status and intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have led to international collaborations resulting in publications in high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Progress in Lipid Research and Cell Stem Cell. He as been recognized by AOCS in the past with an Honored Student Award, a Health and Nutrition Division Student Excellence Award, and a Young Scientist Award.