The UNC Nutrition Research Institute at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis has received a $5.3 million grant to study fetal alcohol disorders in South Africa. The funds are from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The study will be conducted by Dr. Philip May, a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) and Department of Nutrition. May is widely recognized as a leader in the field of fetal alcohol disorders and has conducted extensive research on its epidemiology and risk factors. A former resident of North Carolina, May holds a bachelor of arts degree from Catawba College and a master’s degree from Wake Forest University. He received his doctorate of sociology specializing in demography and epidemiology from the University of Montana.
Through research in two South African communities, May and his team will expand the scientific understanding of the characteristics and patterns of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. “The highest rates of FASD in the world have been found to occur in the South African towns that we are focusing on,” May said. “We think we can improve lives dramatically; there are just so many kids to work with there.”
In South Africa, up to 20 percent of the population is estimated to be affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, a result of drinking during alcohol during pregnancy. Such children suffer from birth defects ranging from learning disabilities to neurological, behavioral and social deficits. Symptoms often include poor coordination, speech and language delays, hyperactive behavior or poor memory.
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