Mark J. Manary, MD
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Specialist
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- Founder of the Peanut Butter Project, revolutionary new method for treating starving children in malnourished regions of the world, and member of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition
- Spends part of each year working in Malawi, a country in southeastern Africa, researching ways to prevent malnutrition. In Malawi, one in eight children dies of starvation. The Peanut Butter Project sends starving children home with rations of fortified peanut butter. Of the children who receive peanut butter, 93 percent have made a full recovery and grown to normal size.
- The Peanut Butter Project is gaining acceptance among humanitarian aid groups and has become a new standard of care endorsed by the World Health Organization.
- Pediatrician specializing in emergency medicine at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine
- Primary research focuses on nutrition in populations of developing countries, especially in Malawi, Africa.
Notable Quotes from Dr. Manary
Dr. Manary on The Peanut Butter Project:
“We hope to use the peanut butter food at some mission hospitals, rural health centers run by the government, and district hospitals. We hope to get a broader experience using the peanut butter food in the therapeutic feeding of children, but we also have an agenda for prevention. We can talk about improving treatment for malnourished children, but the best scenario would be if these kids were never malnourished in the first place.”
Dr. Manary on his idea to treat malnutrition with fortified peanut butter:
“The idea of developing this product came to me when I realized that the chocolate spread used by my kids to put on their bread during breakfast (Nutella) had a protein lipid energy composition very similar to the liquid milk-based food recommended by WHO (World Health Organization) to treat severe malnutrition.”
Dr. Manary on his work leading up to founding The Peanut Butter Project:
“You're most likely to get acceptance and success when you deliver the remedy to those who need it most. You don't start with the Ministry of Health. You start on the ground, at the grass-roots level.”