Young Researcher Award winner 2014 : Dr. Naiman Khan

On July 2nd 2014, during the H4H Annual Scientific Conference in Evian, the winner of the 2014 H4H Young Researcher Award was announced. It was the 3rd time the award was handed out.

The winner of the 2014 H4H Young Researcher of the Year award is Naiman Khan, PhD, RD. Dr. Khan is currently a postdoctoral research associate in the Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is involved in several clinical trials investigating the effects of dietary factors, including water intake, on attention, academic performance, and memory.

Dr. Khan received the award for his great work studying the relation between cognitive function and hydration in pre-pubertal adolescence children. The results from his study indicated that children who had higher water intake exhibited greater attention, particularly during more difficult tasks.

The identification of water intake as a correlate of cognitive health has widespread potential for combating public health concerns related to cognitive and brain health in childhood.

This year the H4H Expert Working Group reviewed 15 very high quality applications, covering clinical work, epidemiology as well as basic research. The growing number of high-quality applications reflects the growing interest and importance of hydration in research.

The 2014 award was handed out by Dr. Simón Barquera of National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Dr. Barquera highlighted that "the link between hydration and cognitive function in children is a very exciting area of research but needs development.

The work done by Naiman Khan is a wonderful and promising start and hopefully the H4H Young Researcher Award will encourage talented researches like Naiman to not only continue their research but also to join the growing international community researching the field of hydration and health".