How are we doing in international nutrition? The 10th Annual Martin J. Forman Memorial Lecture.

The 10th Annual Martin J. Forman Memorial Lecture was presented by Dr. James Levinson at the 18th International Vitamin A Consultative Group Meeting in Cairo Egypt in September 1997. The lecture summarizes the results of a questionnaire created by Dr. Levinson and completed by 173 respondents working in international nutrition. The questionnaire sought respondents perceptions and opinions on the field of international nutrition and the people who work in it. 52% of survey respondents have primary responsibilities in operational programs or policy; 39% work mainly in research teaching or training; and the rest have a combination of the two roles and responsibilities. Aimed at a graduate student audience responses on the following subjects are presented: employment prospects in international nutrition the relevance of academic training for careers in the field the most important advances in international nutrition during the past 10 years research funding conflict and infighting within the international nutrition community the scope of the field whether international nutrition activities are too far removed from malnourished populations whether nutrition should be incorporated into larger programs and the impact of specific nutrition-related programs.