Dr. Hemalatha, a nutrition researcher with a medical background, specializes in the critical field of maternal and child health and nutrition. Her extensive work, comprising clinical and fundamental studies, has yielded valuable insights into the pivotal role of nutrition and gut bacteria in growth and development, endotoxemia, inflammation, insulin resistance, and lipid profiles.
One of her remarkable achievements is her significant contribution to establishing nutrient requirements tailored to the Indian population. Notably, for the first time, these recommendations encompass Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) and Tolerable Upper Limits (TUL) in addition to Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). These comprehensive nutrition requirements have far-reaching policy implications, influencing strategies such as fortification, food labelling, nutrition supplementation programs in India, ensuring nutrient adequacy, and setting limits for nutrients in the food industry.
As an Expert Member of the committee entrusted with revising nutritional standards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013, Dr. Hemalatha played an instrumental role in drafting and finalizing Schedule II of the NFSA 2023, which has since been officially adopted. Her unwavering commitment to knowledge dissemination is vividly apparent through her development of 14 e-learning modules targeted at adolescents and the general public, aimed at fostering awareness about nutrition. Furthermore, the recently developed "My Plate for the Day”, for a 2000 kcal diet, provides a visual representation of the various food groups that an individual should consume in a day to meet the requirements of all the essential macronutrients and micronutrients.
Dr. Hemalatha's profound contributions have garnered her awards and honours. These accolades include the prestigious Dr. Srikantiah Memorial Oration award, the Ponduri Venkata Ramana Rao Gold Medal, the Dr. Rajammal P. Devadas Memorial Oration Award, the Dr. KamlaPuri Sabharwal Memorial Award, the Change Maker Award, the Prof. M. Viswanathan Gold Medal Oration Award, and the Dr. Anandi Goyal Best Nutritionist Award. In recognition of her lifelong achievements, Dr. Hemalatha was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement award by the Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies (FANS). Under her leadership, the institute received Excellence in Nutrition Science & Technology award from POSHAN Outlook and the Poshak Anaaj Award from ICAR-IIMR.
She also serves as Expert Member of various nutrition and health related committees in the country. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (FNAMS), International Union of Nutrition Sciences (FIUNS) and Telangana Academy of Sciences (FTAS).