Dr. Coluthur Gopalan: Life, Career, and Contributions to Nutrition Science
In this article, you will read about the journey of Dr. C. Gopalan, a celebrated Indian nutritionist. He was credited with developing several public health nutrition programs in India.
Dr. C. Gopalan's works shaped nutrition research and public-health policy in India. His career illustrates how a medical doctor can move from clinical medicine into public health nutrition. The specialty of public health nutrition involves studying nutritional problems at the population level, identifying determinants, conducting research, evaluating interventions, generating evidence for programmes/policy, and building systems for ongoing surveillance.
Who was Dr. C. Gopalan?
Late Dr. C. Gopalan was a nutritionist. A nutritionist is an expert in matters related to food and its impact on health. Dr. C Gopalan's career illustrates how a physician can apply medical knowledge beyond individual clinical practice through nutrition research, population-level studies, public-health programmes, academic leadership, and institution building.
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| Image Credit: http://www.nutritionfoundationofindia.res.in |
Qualifications of Dr. C. Gopalan
He did his M.D. in Medicine, but destiny had different plans for him. After college, he was so deeply moved by the famine of Bengal in the 1940s that he decided to shift his path to solve India's nutrition-related medical problems. He was the first Indian Nuffield Scholar and did his Ph.D. in Nutrition in London. He returned to India and joined the Nutrition Research Lab. His career subsequently expanded into population nutrition, public-health programmes, research leadership and institution building.
Contributions of Dr. C. Gopalan
He was regarded as one of the most renowned medical researchers from India, and his leadership in nutritional research in India was well-regarded by Indian nutritionists.
He had an exhaustive list of academic honors. The International Union of Nutritional Sciences, which is considered as the most authoritative voice in nutritional sciences has declared him as a "Living Legend" in 2013 for his distinguished professional career spanning over seven decades.
Based on his India-centric works, several nutritional programs were launched by the Govt. of India to reduce the burden of nutritional diseases. For his contributions, he has been awarded both Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri by Govt. of India, which is a rare feat for non-clinical doctors in India.
Based on his India-centric works, several nutritional programs were launched by the Govt. of India to reduce the burden of nutritional diseases. For his contributions, he has been awarded both Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri by Govt. of India, which is a rare feat for non-clinical doctors in India.
Positions Held by Dr. C. Gopalan
While working for the Govt. of India, he held high public offices such as the President of the National Institute of Nutrition and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Post-retirement from Govt. service, he was inclined towards the NGO sector and held important positions such as the President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences and Chairman of the Regional Advisory Committee on Medical Research, WHO.
He founded two NGOs in India to further advance the cause of nutritional sciences in India. These are the Nutrition Society of India and Nutrition Foundation of India, and they have been highly successful at putting nutrition at the center of policymaking in India.
Post-retirement from Govt. service, he was inclined towards the NGO sector and held important positions such as the President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences and Chairman of the Regional Advisory Committee on Medical Research, WHO.
He founded two NGOs in India to further advance the cause of nutritional sciences in India. These are the Nutrition Society of India and Nutrition Foundation of India, and they have been highly successful at putting nutrition at the center of policymaking in India.
Legacy of Dr. C. Gopalan
He authored more than 200 papers and a dozen books, but, his most significant research contributions are towards understanding the causes of malnutrition-related diseases, namely, Kwashiorkor, Marasmus, Beri-beri, and Pellagra. Another extremely important area of his work is related to identifying the nutritional requirements of pregnant women, feeding mothers, infants, and young children. His book titled Nutritive Value of Indian Foods is still considered as a reference work for Indian nutritionists.
"Look to the farms, not the pharmacies" (A popular advice given to nutritionists by Dr. C. Gopalan)
When did Dr. C. Gopalan Die?
Dr. C. Gopalan died nearing 101 years of age, in Oct-2019. Till shortly before his death, he lived with his children and grandchildren in Chennai and worked from his home, guiding the countrymen and the whole developing world on how to solve their unique medical problems related to nutrition. So, even in his last years, he remained professionally engaged with public health nutrition."Look to the farms, not the pharmacies" (A popular advice given to nutritionists by Dr. C. Gopalan)
Do you feel inspired by his journey? Feel free to share your views.
References and Further Reading
1. Coluthur Gopalan: a legend in nutrition science2. IUNS declares Dr C Gopalan as living legend
3. Classics in Indian Medicine C.Gopalan
4. Dr C GOPALAN - PRESIDENT OF NUTRITION FOUNDATION OF INDIA
5. Former DG ICMR Dr C. Gopalan passes away at 101
Views expressed are personal
Author Profile
Dr. Naval Asija is a New Delhi based non-clinical doctor having health administration postgraduate training. Since 2018, he has been writing/blogging full time on health issues. In the past, he has worked for a decade in healthcare, in different organizations, namely Innodata India Pvt. Ltd.,
Win-Medicare Pvt. Ltd., National Institute of Health and Family Welfare,
Integrated Disease Surveillance Project and National Polio Surveillance
Project. The author can be contacted through https://www.linkedin.com/in/navalasija/
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