Dr. David Ma receives prestigious Earle Willard McHenry Award for Distinguished Service in Nutrition

Dr. David Ma, professor in Human Health Sciences and director of the Guelph Family Health Study, has been awarded the 2026 Earle Willard McHenry Award for Distinguished Service in Nutrition by the Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS).

The award is presented annually in recognition of distinguished service in the field of nutrition, including excellence in teaching, leadership in professional associations, support for the development of nutrition-focused programs, and research achievement.

“To receive this award is a great honour and I’m grateful for the tremendous supports from family, collaborators and trainees that made this possible,” says Ma.

Ma’s research has focused on the impact of dietary fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, throughout the life cycle and in both the prevention and treatment of disease. Specifically, he has studied the role of omega-3 fatty acids on breast cancer prevention, and recently expanded to investigate the potential for dietary fats to support recovery from injuries such as mild traumatic brain injury.

As director of the Guelph Family Health Study, he leads a long-term study that follows families with young children to better understand the determinants of health and develop strategies to promote healthy lifestyle choices and prevent chronic disease.

He is also the lead investigator for the Tri-Council-funded SMART Training Platform, to build capacity in implementation science and advance research on healthy cities.

Ma has been active with the Canadian Nutrition Society for many years, including as a past president and fellow.

The award will be presented to Ma at the 2026 CNS Annual Conference, which will be held May 7 to 9 in Halifax.

Ma joins a long list of University of Guelph faculty members who have won the award, including Drs. Terry Graham, Bruce Holub, and Harold Draper from the Department of Human Health Sciences.

The Canadian Nutrition Society also recently recognized several Human Health Sciences students.

Serena Vanessa Iannucci, a PhD in Human Health and Nutritional Sciences student working with Dr. Amanda Wright, won the CNS Thematic Conference Abstract Award. Connor Buchanan, a PhD in Human Health and Nutritional Sciences student working with Ma, was named an oral competition finalist, while PhD HHNS student Ala Alzubi and MSc HHNS student Hannah Glowacki (both working with Dr. Jennifer Monk) were named poster competition finalists. All three will present at the annual conference in May.