Bethany Thayer, MS, RDN

Areas of Expertise:

Behavior and Lifestyle Modifications
Employee Wellness Programs
Recipe Development and Makeovers
Wellness Nutrition
Worksite Nutrition

Thayer is director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Henry Ford Health System. She is responsible for a team of health professionals who plan, develop and implement wellness programs for their 30,000 team members, patients, community and other employer groups. Past roles include developing health education programs, such as the award-winning HAP Weight Wise Program and coordinating HFHS's community nutrition program Heart Smart®. She is a past writer of the "Ask the RD" column in hapwise magazine and weekly "Heart Smart" column in the Detroit Free Press, developing hundreds of recipes that were compiled into the Heart Smart II Cookbook (Detroit Free Press 1996), the Heart Smart Kids Cookbook (Detroit Free Press 2000) and the Heart Smart III Cookbook (Detroit Free Press 2011). Thayer is a frequent speaker to industry and community groups. She has published numerous scientific studies and is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University. She was named the Michigan Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 1993 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year, received the organization's Academy Media Award in 2004 and 2006 and was recently recognized as the 2012 Michigan Outstanding Dietitian of the Year. Thayer is a graduate of Michigan State University and earned a master's degree in exercise science from Oakland University.

To contact an Academy spokesperson, call 800/877-1600 ext. 4769 or media@eatright.org.

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