A medical researcher with decades of experience, Charlotte G. Neumann is most proud of the work she has done in Africa. Her focus is on the malnutrition of women and children, although she also has experience in maternal health, childhood obesity, and nutritional intervention for HIV drugs. To share what she has learned, Dr. Neumann has also worked as a research professor at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, since 2009. She considers her favorite part of the job to be guiding the younger generations and getting physicians involved with nutrition.
Dr. Neumann credits her husband for getting her involved in her field. She met him while studying at Harvard University, and found his work in health care and his focus on rural health care and family planning to be really inspiring. With his encouragement, as well as the support of her sister, faculty, and students, she earned an MD and a Master of Arts in public health in 1954 and 1960, respectively, and jumped into her research. She connected with her peers through affiliation with prominent organizations like the International Union of Nutritional Sciences, the African Nutrition Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics
In recognition of her efforts, Dr. Neumann was honored with a Dickson Emeritus Professor Award from the University of California, Los Angeles, between 2012 and 2013, the Nevien Scrimshaw Award for Distinguished Service in Nutrition from the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the African Nutrition Society in 2011, the Merit Award from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2007, and the Agnes Higgins Award from March of Dimes. She was also selected as a Distinguished Worldwide Humanitarian and as the recipient of Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who in 2017.When Dr. Neumann isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her children, Frederick, Daniel, and Peter, and her grandchildren, David, Grace, and Spencer.