Dr. Bentley Named Distinguished Professor

The University of North Carolina’s Board of Trustees has named Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Bentley a Distinguished Professor. Dr. Bentley, a professor in nutrition, who is also associate dean for global health at UNC and Board Chair of the Triangle Global Health Consortium, has been named the Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor of Global Nutrition for the duration of her tenure.

“We are delighted to present this professorship to Peggy Bentley,” said Dean Barbara Rimer. “Dr. Bentley is recognized for the important work she has done over the years to understand the dimensions of infant caregiving, feeding, and nutrition and to develop effective, culturally appropriate interventions to encourage optimal infant feeding practices in the U.S. and around the world. As associate dean for global health, she has helped to guide globalization of the curriculum, development of new courses and framing of our mission as both local and global with partnerships around the world.”

Dr. Bentley’s research focuses on women’s and infants’ nutrition, infant and young child feeding, HIV, and community-based interventions for nutrition and health. In India, she is conducting an HIV behavioral intervention prevention trial and a community-based intervention to improve child growth and development. In Malawi, she works on an intervention to decrease maternal to child transmission of HIV during breastfeeding. Closer to home, she directs a five-year longitudinal study to examine risk factors for the development of pediatric obesity in North Carolina.

TGHC congratulates Dr. Bentley!