Anna Coutsoudis

Biography Coutsoudis received her BSc from the University of Natal in 1974, followed by a Higher Diploma in Education in 1975. Later, while raising a family, she completed her studies at the same university, earning a PhD from the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health with a thesis titled Epidemiological and clinical studies of vitamin A in Black South African pre-school children.

She was honoured by an award from La Leche League International in 2001 for stressing the benefits of breastfeeding while in 2004 her extensive work on nutrition research was recognized by the Nutrition Society of South Africa. The following year, an article she and her colleague Hoosen Coovadia published in The Lancet called on the South African government to stop providing free formula milk to HIV-infected mothers, causing outrage from HIV activists. In particular, Cousoudis criticized the commercial promotion of formula milk for young babies in South Africa, especially as it countered recommendations from the World Health Organization. In September 2016, Coutsoudis participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency's 60th conference in Vienna where she was a key speaker at a well-attended event on "Nuclear Techniques to Assess Breastfeeding Practices".

Coutsoudis has served on various committees of the World Health Organization including the Steering Committee of the Child and Adolescent Health Unit and guideline development groups on Vitamin A Supplementation and HIV and Infant Feeding.

Awards and honors In 2009, Anna Coutsoudis was awarded the Science for Society Gold Medal by the Academy of Science of South Africa.