Realising the need for large scale prospective studies of cancer and diet, in which individual dietary intake could be assessed, she set out in the 1980s to find a suitable way of doing this by developing biomarkers that could be used to verify reports of food intake. Once this was done it was possible to show that accurate measurement of diet in large numbers of individuals was feasible, and EPIC-Norfolk began in 1992.

Professor Sheila Rodwell was also Deputy Director of the Medical Research Council's Dunn Human Nutrition Unit (www.mrc-dunn.cam.ac.uk), an Associate Lecturer at the Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge and visiting Professor at the University of Ulster at Coleraine.

For copies of manuscripts or information please contact Shabina Hayat, Research Co-ordinator: shabina.hayat@srl.cam.ac.uk