American writer and columnist, a general reporter for two years and science writer for the New York Times for 11 years; author of seven books including “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book.” For years, she nudged Americans into diet and health consciousness and is credited with raising the U.S. awareness on diet and lifestyle and its influence on health. She easily translated technical medical material into language that could be understood by the average reader. Brody began writing a personal health column for the New York Times starting in 1976, with nutrition a major subject.
Jane Ellen Brody was the daughter of Sidney Brody, a lawyer and civil servant, and Lillian Kellner Brody, an elementary school teacher. The family included a younger brother, and the family practiced the basic rudiments of good nutrition. At age four she announced she wanted to be a veterinarian, the first stirrings of her interest in science.
In high school, Jane participated in various extracurricular activities and was editor of her school newspaper. One month before she graduated, her mother died of ovarian cancer, diagnosed less than a year earlier. Her mother’s death – as well as her maternal grandmother’s death from cancer three years earlier – had a tremendous impact on Brody.
After high school, she enrolled in the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell, majoring in biochemistry to prepare for a research scientist career. She soon realized that a research career was not the best choice. The decision was sparked by two events: Joining the staff of Cornell’s school magazine, “The Cornell Countryman,” which dealt with scientific and agricultural research; and research work done at a National Science Foundation one summer at the New York State Agricultural Station in Geneva, New York.
As an editor during her senior year in college, she made a decision to pursue journalism as a career, now knowing that full-time laboratory work was not for her. She graduated with a B. S. degree in biochemistry in 1962 as the top female student in her class.
She entered the University of Wisconsin in 1962 for a one-year graduate program in journalism under a science writing fellowship. She was assigned to the university’s medical school coverage. With a large file of clippings that she accumulated that year, and an M.S. degree in science writing, she began as a reporter with the “Minneapolis Tribune.” After two years as a general reporter, she left Minneapolis in 1965 for New York City, where she went to work for the New York Times as a full-time science writer, specializing in medicine and biology.
After working for 11 years as a science writer for the Times, she was asked to write a “Personal Health” column, which made its debut on 11/10/1976. She received more mail from readers than any other writer for the newspaper.
She has written seven books, including “Jane Brody’s Nutrition Book,” 1981, and “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book,” 1985 and “Secrets of Good Health,” 1970, which she wrote with her husband. She is also a columnist for “Family Circle” magazine.
She married theater lyricist Richard Engquist on 10/02/1966 and they have twin sons, Erik and Lorin.
Link to Wikipedia biography