Ann-Mari Knivsberg: an autism research pioneer

Prof. Ann-Mari Knivsberg

Dear readers, this is a short post to communicate the passing of a great woman and celebrate her life and achievements in the field of autism research and beyond.

On Sunday 17th February 2013, Prof. Ann-Mari Knivsberg died peacefully. An obituary has been posted on the University of Stavanger website which can be translated into other languages.

All who had the pleasure of meeting Ann-Mari will know that she had a real warmth about her which shone through in her professional life and her ground-breaking work examining the potential effectiveness of a gluten- and casein-free (GFCF) diet for people on the autism spectrum and beyond.

Ann-Mari was a pioneer in her various studies looking at GFCF diets with autism in mind, publishing one of the very first scientific accounts examining dietary intervention (see here). Her passion for autism research continued over the years; to many earning her the title of 'godmother of dietary intervention research for autism'.

I had the very great pleasure of working with Ann-Mari on our ScanBrit project and feel honoured to have been a part of one of her final works on diet and autism (see here). She was a great teacher and a good friend. My condolences go to her family and friends.