OSU alumna and Oregon native Connie Weaver was awarded the Linus Pauling Prize for Health Research at the biennial Diet and Optimum Health Conference held on campus. The award, presented by OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute, included a medal and $25,000 prize, which Weaver says will go toward her dream of creating a global women’s health research center.
Weaver’s research on calcium in bone health and osteoporosis prevention helped develop national health policy; daily intake recommendations for calcium are based partly on her research. Because of her work, she is invited around the world to help populations consider nutrient requirements and dietary guidelines and how to get enough calcium in the food supply.
It’s in this work that Weaver finds her joy. “The career path I have chosen is very motivating and stimulating,” she says. “With research comes discovery – the highest stimulant I know.”
Weaver earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees (’72, ’74) at OSU and said that accepting the prize in Corvallis made it that much sweeter.
“I have admired the stature and work of the Linus Pauling Institute and the quality of the recipients of the prize for many years. I never imagined that I would be honored. That the institute is at my alma mater and the award was given on campus this year made the prize special to me.”
Currently head of the Nutrition Science Department at Purdue University, Weaver is director of the Botanical Center for Age Related Diseases at Purdue and deputy director of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute.