Mark Wahlqvist

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Mark Lawrence Wahlqvist is an Australian physician whose work focuses on human nutrition, food systems, and public health. [1]

Contents

He was appointed as the first Professor of Human Nutrition in Australia and has contributed to the development of nutrition policy and research on eco-nutritional science in the Asia–Pacific region. He has held academic appointments at Monash University, [2] Deakin University, and Zhejiang University. [3] From 2001 to 2005, he served as President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS). [4] [5]

In 2000, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. [6]

Early life and education

Wahlqvist was born in 1942 in Adelaide, South Australia. He was educated at Westbourne Park Primary School and Unley High School. [7] He studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, earning a BMedSc with Honours in 1963 and an MBBS in 1966. He completed his MD at the University of Adelaide in 1970 and a second MD at Uppsala University, Sweden, in 1972. [8]

Career

Wahlqvist began his academic and medical career with early research in metabolic physiology and atherosclerosis. [9] He held senior appointments in physiology and clinical medicine in both Australia and Sweden before becoming Foundation Professor of Human Nutrition at Deakin University in 1978. [10] In 1987, he was appointed Chair of Medicine at Monash University, where he later directed the Asia Pacific Health and Nutrition Centre at the Monash Asia Institute. [6]

His work emphasizes eco-nutritional frameworks that link ecosystems to public health outcomes. He has contributed substantially to international food and nutrition policy through positions with the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and the United Nations University. [10] He chaired Australia's Food Safety Council and served on the board of the Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (now FSANZ). [11]

He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition for over 25 years and was a member of scientific and governmental advisory boards on nutrition and public health. [12]

Reflecting his formative ties to Indonesia, he was made an honorary Bataknese by the Bupati of Simalungun Regency on May 3, 2012, [10] following a recommendation by the local branch of the Indonesian Women’s Association. [11]

As part of this honor, he was given the traditional name "Purba," acknowledging his cultural integration and service. In Sweden, he received the Charlotta Medal in 1984 from the Emigrants Research Institute (Utvandrarnas Hus) in Växjö, awarded for distinguished contributions to international cultural and scholarly exchange involving Sweden. [3]

In Australia, Wahlqvist has been awarded through several educational and policy initiatives. The Mark Wahlqvist Award for Creativity and Innovation was established at Westbourne Park Primary School in South Australia to recognize students who demonstrate originality and problem-solving skills. [7] He also played a role in food policy as the Inaugural Chair of the Food Safety Council of Victoria. [10]

Publications

Wahlqvist is the author of over 500 peer-reviewed articles and more than a dozen books. His textbook, Food and Nutrition: Australasia, Asia and the Pacific, was first published in 1981 by Cassell. The most recent edition (2021) was published by Allen & Unwin in collaboration with Danielle Gallegos, and the forthcoming 2026 edition will be published by Routledge in London. [13]

He has also written for two editions of the Australian anthology This I Believe, published by ABC Books, which compiled philosophical and personal reflections by 100 prominent Australians. [6]

Awards

He has been honored by national nutrition societies in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, and Taiwan for his international leadership in clinical and community nutrition. [16]

Personal life

Wahlqvist was married to Soo Sien Huang, with whom he had two children. Following her death in 2004, he remarried Meei-Shyuan Lee in Taiwan. [6] He is an advocate for environmental sustainability and intercultural dialogue, influenced by his time living and working across Europe, Asia, and Australia. [17]

A photograph of Wahlqvist with a young Julia Gillard, later Australia’s first female Prime Minister, hangs in the South Australian Department of Education as part of a student tribute that named them two of the 'Four Pillars' of Unley High School. [6]

In his later years, he has been active in Taiwan and China, including a tenure as Foundation Director and Professor at Zhejiang University. [6]

References

  1. ↑ "Cancer alert on barbecue meat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  2. 1 2 "International Award for nutrition scientist". Monash University. 2015-07-22. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  3. 1 2 Solomons, Noel W (1 April 2006). "McCollum International Lecturer, Professor Mark L. Wahlqvist, Points Us "Towards a New Generation of International Nutritional Science and Nutritional Scientist" from the Podium in Durban, South Africa". The Journal of Nutrition. 136 (4): 1050–1052. doi:10.1093/jn/136.4.1050. ISSN   0022-3166.
  4. ↑ "Mark Wahlqvist, President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences, Professor of Medicine at Monash University and one of the 30 experts who took part in the WHO/FAO global consultation on diet and health". ABC Radio National.
  5. 1 2 "Living Legends Awards · International Union of Nutritional Sciences". IUNS.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Getting to know ... Mark Wahlqvist". Monash University . 12 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Schoolzine. "Mark Wahlqvist Award - Westbourne Park Primary School". Westbourne Park Primary School Website. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  8. ↑ "Professor Mark L. Wahlqvist | The Nutrition Society". www.nutritionsociety.org. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  9. ↑ Wahlqvist, Mark L. (2005). "Dietary fat and the prevention of chronic disease". Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 14 (4): 313–318. ISSN   0964-7058. PMID   16326637.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Professor Mark L Wahlqvist AO". Issuu. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  11. 1 2 https://www.ajfand.net/Volume18/No1/Gazette%20-%20Mark%20Wahlkvist.pdf Moments that mattered: stumblingtowards nutritional science
  12. ↑ "Founding Editor-Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition" . Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  13. ↑ Wahlqvist, Mark L.; Gallegos, Danielle, eds. (2020). Food and nutrition: sustainable food and health systems (4th ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-003-11565-6.
  14. ↑ "Professor Mark Lawrence Wahlqvist". Australian Honours Search Facility. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  15. ↑ "Honorary Fellows | The Nutrition Society". www.nutritionsociety.org. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  16. ↑ "澳大利亚工程院院士Mark L. Wahlqvist教授受聘我校名誉教授-青岛大学公共卫生学院". ggwsxy.qdu.edu.cn. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  17. ↑ Wahlqvist, Mark L. (2009-11-16). "Connected Community and Household Food-Based Strategy (CCH-FBS): Its Importance for Health, Food Safety, Sustainability and Security in Diverse Localities". Ecology of Food and Nutrition. 48 (6): 457–481. doi:10.1080/03670240903308596. ISSN   0367-0244.
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