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Faculty Bio

Mark J. Manary, M.D.

Helene B. Roberson Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Global Harvest Alliance, Joint Venture between St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis and Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Emergency Medicine
Patient Oriented Research
 

My professional goal is to ‘fix malnutrition for kids in Africa’. To this end, I have developed ready-to-use therapeutic food and used the food in home-based therapy. Ready-to-use therapeutic food is a novel lipid-based food which has been accepted as the standard of care for uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition by the UN agencies. I did the first clinical trial with this food in 2001. I am currently formulating and evaluating new foods designed to augment the therapy of HIV in Africa, and treat moderate childhood malnutrition. I also recognize the importance of work to prevent childhood malnutrition, and to that end am exploring the use of lipid nutrient supplements to as complementary foods for children 6-24 months in Malawi. I believe the ultimate solution for malnutrition is improved agriculture, and I am an investigator on BioCassava Plus, a Gates Foundation project to develop genetically improved cassava which is enriched with iron, protein, beta-carotene and zinc. I run a plant genetics lab at the Danforth Plant Science Center where we investigate nutrient enhanced peanuts. I continue to explore the basic pathophysiologoy and metabolism of malnutrition, and I am currently looking at the gut microbiota and metabolome in kwashiorkor and marasmus, and well as zinc homeostasis. I love engaging students in my work, as they can be inspired to embrace global health issues and bring fresh perspectives to the problems.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Prevention and treatment of primary malnutrition in Africa
  • Pathophysiology of kwashiorkor
  • Development of novel foods to heal tropical enteropathy
  • Use of plant genetic engineering to improve nutrition security
Education
  • B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1977
  • M.D., Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, 1982
Training
  • Internship and Residency in Pediatrics, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, 1982-1985
Licensure and Board Certification
  • State of Missouri Medical License, 1984
  • American Board of Pediatrics, 1988, 2005
  • American Board of Pediatrics, Subspecialty – Pediatric Emergency Medicine, 1994, 2009
Honors
  • CIBA Award of Community Service, 1980
  • St. Louis Pediatric Society Award, 1982
  • Fulbright Scholar, 1994-1995
  • Academic Humanitarian Physician of the Year, American Association of Medical Colleges, 2004
  • AOA Member, Washington University Chapter
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award, Washington University Graduate Student Senate, 2006
  • Washington University Distinguished Alumni Faculty Award, 2007
  • Rose Award for Community Education, St. Louis County Public Schools, 2007
  • Excellence in Pediatrics Award, St. Louis Pediatric Society, 2007
Selected Publications

  1. Manary MJ, Brewster DR, Broadhead RL, Crowley JR, Fjeld CR, Yarasheski KE: Protein metabolism in children with edematous malnutrition and acute lower respiratory infection. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65:1005-1010.

  2. Manary MJ, Brewster DR: Potassium supplementation in Kwashiorkor. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 1997;24:194-201.

  3. Manary MJ, Brewster DR: Intensive nursing care of kwashiokor in Malawi. Acta Paediatr 2000; 89:203-207.

  4. Manary MJ, Hotz C, Krebs NF, Gibson RS, Westcott JE, Broadhead RL, Hambidge KM: Zinc homeostasis in Malawian children on a high phytate maize-based diet. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:1057-1061.

  5. Manary MJ, Yarasheski KE, Berger R, Abrams ET, Hart CH, Broadhead RL: Whole body leucine kinetics and the acute phase response during acute infection in marasmic Malawian children. Pediatr Res 2004;55:940-946.

  6. Manary MJ, Ndekha MJ, Ashorn P, et al.: Home-based therapy for severe malnutrition with ready-to-use-food. Arch Dis Child 2004;89:557-561.

  7. Ciliberto MA, Sandige H, Ndekha MJ, Ashorn P, Briend A, Ciliberto HM, Manary MJ. A comparison of home-based therapy with ready-to-use therapeutic food with standard therapy in the treatment of malnourished Malawian children: a controlled, clinical effectiveness trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81(4):864-870.

  8. Ciliberto H, Ciliberto M, Briend A, Ashorn P, Bier D, Manary M. Antioxidant supplementation for the prevention of kwashiorkor in Malawian children: randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial. Brit Med J 2005;330:1109-12.

  9. Galpin L, Manary MJ, Fleming K, Ou CN, Ashorn P, Shulman RJ. The effect of Lactobacillus GG on intestinal integrity in Malawian children at risk for tropical enteropathy. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82:1040-1045.

  10. Galpin L, Thakwalakwa C, PhukaJ, AshornP, Maleta K, WongWW, Manary MJ: Breast milk intake is not reduced more by the introduction of energy dense complementary food than by typical infant porridge. J Nutr 2007;137:1828-1833.

  11. Lin CA, Manary MJ, Maleta K, Briend A, Ashorn P: An energy-dense complementary food is associated with a modest increase in weight gain when compared with a fortified porridge in Malawian children aged 6 – 18 months. J Nutr 2008;138(3):593-598.

  12. Ndekha MJ. van Oosterhout JJ. Zijlstra EE. Manary M. Saloojee H. Manary MJ. Supplementary feeding with either ready-to-use fortified spread or corn-soy blend in wasted adults starting antiretroviral therapy in Malawi: randomised, investigator blinded, controlled trial. BMJ. 338:b1867, 2009.

  13. Trehan I, Shulman RJ, Ou CN, Maleta K, Manary MJ: A Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Trial of Rifaximin, a non-absorable Antibiotic, in the Treatment of Sub-Clinical Tropical enteropathy. Am J Gastroenterology 2009 104:2326-2333.

  14. Manary MJ, Abrams SA, Griffin IJ, Quimper MM, Shulman RJ, Hamzo MG, Chen Z, Maleta K. Perturbed zinc homeostasis in rural 3-5 year old Malawian children is associated with abnormalities in intestinal permeability attributed to tropical enteropathy. Pediatr Res 2010 doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e3181da44dc

  15. Gegios A, Amthor R, Maziya-Dixon B, EgesiC, MallowaS, NungoR, GichukiS, MbanasoA, Manary M. Children consuming cassava as a staple food are at risk for inadequate zinc, iron, and vitamin A intake. Plant Foods Human Nutr 2010 65:64-70.
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