You won’t interact with Lynn Bailey long before hearing about folate. As a young researcher, Bailey became so engrossed in her research into the essential B vitamin, required for normal growth and development, that it would become a part of her identity.
Folate was in her email address and eventually even on her license plate.
“It leads to some very insightful conversations in parking lots,” she said, laughing.
Bailey was already publishing widely on the subject when the monumental discovery in the early 1990s linking folic acid supplementation to the prevention of debilitating neural tube defects like spina bifida rocked the scientific community.
“That changed everything globally,” Bailey said. “We all just stopped in our tracks.”
Soon, Bailey became a prominent collaborator on national and international projects related to addressing maternal folate deficiency, a major cause of NTDs.
She was part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration committee that recommended folic acid fortification to the U.S. government in the mid-1990s. Once it became law, the number of NTDs began to plummet nationwide.
The experience of working with expectant mothers, research collaborators and government agencies to help prevent birth defects was exhilarating and personally gratifying, she said.
“I was so motivated and so in awe of the fact that I was participating in this national endeavor,” she said. “It was life changing.”
After 33 years as a faculty member and prominent researcher at the University of Florida, Bailey was named department head in what was then the department of foods and nutrition in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences in 2011. Her hiring would dramatically transform the department and the college.
“As a doctoral student coming into the department at the time, you hear that name in lectures as an undergraduate and knowing you’re going to be interacting and rubbing elbows with Lynn Bailey, it changes your frame of mind,” said Joseph Kindler, now an assistant professor in the department. “It lights a fire under you because you know that’s who you’re aspiring to be.”
Life on the farm
Bailey’s passion for nutrition began early in life. She grew up on a farm in tiny Wagener, S.C., where the family grew most of their food.
“I loved the idea of learning which foods were the best sources of specific nutrients and how this knowledge provided the basis of designing diets that promoted optimal health from the cradle to the grave,” she said.
The county Extension agent who directed the local 4-H program took a special interest in Bailey and would become a transformative figure in her life. The agent helped Bailey with special food-related projects, including one that won a state competition and earned Bailey a flight to Chicago for the national 4-H Congress.
Inspired by her early forays into nutrition education, Bailey went on to receive three degrees in the field.
“It wouldn’t have happened without her,” Bailey said of the agent. “She changed my whole life.”
Career change
Bailey was drawn to UGA for a few reasons. Besides putting her closer to her roots in South Carolina, the move also gave her the opportunity to lead and mentor a diverse faculty while continuing her research program.
Barbara Grossman, clinical professor emerita who arrived at the college in 1981, still recalls Bailey’s initial presentation during her job interview.
“After sitting there for about 20 minutes, I thought ‘I’ve been in this college for decades and she seems to know more about it than I do,’ ” she said, laughing. “That was a very positive impression and I would say one of her main characteristics was how professional but also how thorough she is.”
Under Bailey’s leadership, and with the support of then-dean Linda Kirk Fox, the department grew from 14 faculty members to 28 during Bailey’s 11-year tenure and saw significant facilities upgrades, improved collaborations with other institutions and the addition of an online degree program.
Faculty members used words like poised, nurturing, selfless and visionary to describe Bailey’s leadership style. Most noted, though, was the encouragement she provided faculty.
“Despite her being this rock star, that was never something that went to her head,” Kindler said. “She was always there to support her students, her faculty and get them to where they needed and wanted to go.”
Most importantly, Bailey said she was motivated by the desire to mentor students and faculty, particularly young faculty just starting out in their careers.
She made a point to meet with each of them every month to encourage and guide them, having experienced similar mentorship as a young faculty member herself.
“I feel that was more valuable than anything I’ve ever done in my professional career, just watching them succeed,” she said.
It’s that personal touch, even more than her astounding scientific contributions, that faculty say will be one of her greatest legacies.
“She was very visionary, but she also led with understanding,” said associate professor Caree Cotwright. “I think that’s very important. As a leader, you have to be able to connect with people emotionally as well as inspire and motivate people to reach their goals. She was just wonderful at that and an exemplary leader.”
