UC Davis Distinguished professor of physiology and membrane biology Kim Barrett has been named the winner of the John Snow Public Health Innovation Prize 2024. The prize is part of the Applied Microbiology International (AMI) Horizon Awards.

Horizon Awards celebrate the brightest minds in applied microbiology, the study of microorganisms and their use. The prize recognizes and supports excellence in this field. It targets those whose work significantly improves public health and environmental sustainability.

“I am thrilled to receive this recognition in honor of a pioneer in the field of public health. Due to my personal research interests, the award is especially meaningful. John Snow is renowned for his demonstration that a key diarrheal illness, cholera, is spread via contaminated water,” Barrett said.

Research excellence in physiology

The John Snow Public Health Innovation Prize is for professionals, researchers and innovators who have made notable contributions to health and well-being, as well as to clean water and sanitation. It honors their efforts in tackling key health challenges and ensuring safe water access, emphasizing real-world impacts in these critical areas.

Barrett is the vice dean for research. She is a research physiologist specializing in digestive disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases. Her research focuses on the transport and barrier properties of the gut lining and how these get disrupted in case of a disease. It is relevant to the understanding of diarrheal diseases, particularly those caused by infectious agents, such as Salmonella and cholera. Barrett has also studied probiotics and the role of the gut microbiome.

Her work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and private foundations. It has resulted in more than 300 publications to date as well as multiple awards.

“We are so delighted to be able to present this well-deserved award to Barrett in recognition of all the pioneering research that she has carried out into gastrointestinal physiology and the development of probiotics,” said AMI Chief Executive Lucy Harper.

Barrett is the editor-in-chief for The Journal of Physiology and a Past-President of the American Physiological Society.