Gates Foundation Donates $20M for Vitamin Research

BALTIMORE--The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation granted $20 million to Johns Hopkins University to study the effect of vitamin and mineral supplementation on the populations of poor countries. The study will be conducted over a five-year period. [Johns Hopkins houses the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Leadership in Population and Reproductive Health.]

The study will focus on finding the most effective combination of nutrients for women and children's health. Alfred Sommer, dean of the university's School of Public Health and the study's principal investigator, has prior experience studying children's nutrition--his findings led to a program combating worldwide vitamin A deficiency. "We were delighted that the Foundation has decided that micro-nutrient malnutrition is most definitely a priority issue," Sommers said. "Given global concern and commitment and the evolution of our research programs, their support [Bill and Melinda Gates] could not have been more timely."

Research is currently being planned in countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Ghana and Zanzibar. For additional information, visit www.glf.org.