Esteemed scientist and human nutrition proponent John A. Milner, PhD, passed away on December 31, 2013, as the result of a heart attack. He was 66 years of age.¹

Dr. Milner, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, attended Oklahoma State University as an undergraduate and earned his doctoral degree from Cornell University.¹ He subsequently accepted employment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and, later, headed Pennsylvania State University’s department of nutrition.²

Dr. Milner was best known for his contributions to the field of chemoprevention. Prior to becoming the director of the US Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Program — the last position he held before his death — he worked for more than a decade in the US National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Prevention as chief of the Nutritional Science Research Group.² He served as a senior editor of the journal Cancer Prevention Research in addition to holding memberships to a number of prominent groups including the American Association for Cancer Research.¹

“John was widely regarded as an expert and effective leader in the field of nutrition for cancer prevention,” said Jeffrey White, MD, director of the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Cancer Institute (email, January 22, 2014). “He was a very strong advocate for advancing research in this area and for the evidence-based use of the research results.”

According to Paul Coates, PhD, director of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the breadth of Dr. Milner’s expertise was vast, encompassing areas such as nutrigenomics, antioxidants, selenium nutriture, and functional foods. “He was a garlic guy beneath it all — loved to study it, loved to eat it,” recalled Dr. Coates (email, January 24, 2014). “When evaluating the potential health effects of foods such as garlic, he recognized the importance of considering the whole plant, not just the ingredients.”

Dr. Coates met Dr. Milner after assuming directorship of ODS in 1999. “I knew him by reputation before then, so it was a real treat to actually meet him and get to know him personally and as a collaborator,” said Dr. Coates. “He and his wife, Mary Frances Picciano, had both come to the NIH from Penn State. I had the good fortune of having Mary Frances on my staff in ODS and, through her, the good fortune of getting to know John.”

In addition to scientific prowess, Dr. Milner possessed a tremendous laugh and an authentic collaborative spirit. According to Dr. Coates, “He was a true partner, always on the lookout to build bridges and find common ground.” Like Dr. Coates, Dr. Milner shared an interest in bioactives; “[W]hile his interest was chiefly in foods and mine in dietary supplements,” said Dr. Coates, “we both understood that the issues surrounding the study of their health effects were very much the same.”

“It was our pleasure knowing and working with Dr. John Milner,” said Jay Levy, director of sales at Wakunaga of America, a division of the Japanese company that is the world’s largest producer of scientifically studied garlic preparations (email, January 21, 2014). “We were always impressed by his Southern charm, experience and knowledge. His appreciation for high quality research, particularly in the field of nutrition and cancer prevention, as well as his interest in scientific discovery, will never be forgotten,” continued Levy.

“[John] and Mary Frances were wonderful hosts who made everyone feel comfortable in their home,” said Dr. Coates. “She died in 2010 after a very successful career in her own right. Now that John has died, the nutrition world feels a huge gap in its heart. We miss them both.”

Dr. Milner is survived by his children, Kristina and Matthew Milner. Contributions in memory of Dr. Milner may be made to the John A. Milner Graduate Student Endowment in Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University.²

—Ash Lindstrom

References

1. John A. Milner, Ph.D. American Association for Cancer Research website. Available at: www.aacr.org/Uploads/DocumentRepository/Membership/Obituaries/2013/Milner_John_Obituary.pdf. Accessed January 22, 2014.
2. Dr. John A. Milner, Ph.D. (Age 66). Legacy.com website. Available at: www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=john-a-milner&pid=168885567. Accessed January 22, 2014.