- About ADA
- Journal/Publications
- Position Papers
- Foundation
- Dietetic Registration
- Accreditation/Dietetics Education
- Join Online/Member Benefits
- Corporate Relations Sponsorship
- ADA Groups
- Research
- International
- Practice
- Member Issues
- Online Discussions
- Evidence Analysis Library
- Nutrition Care Process
My ADA
Linda M. Delahanty, MS, RD
Chief Dietitian and Director of Nutrition and Behavioral Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center, Boston, MA.
ADA Leadership Highlights: National - Journal of American Dietetic Association, Board of Editors. Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group DPG: Planning Committee to Revise Exchange Lists for Meal Planning; Planning Committee for the Development of Nutrition Practice Guidelines for Type 1 Diabetes; Contributing theme editor for On the Cutting Edge; ADAF DCE Research Award Committee; Nominating Committee.
Other Professional Activities: American Diabetes Association: Advanced Postgraduate Course, Faculty; Continuing Education Program for Pharmacists on the Management of Diabetes Mellitus; Publications Policy Committee; Diabetes Forecast, Editorial Board; Doing Better Initiative Advisory Board; Research Policy Committee. American Association of Diabetes Educators: Committee to Revise AADE Position Statement on Intensive Diabetes Management: Implications of the DCCT and the UKPDS. NIH funded Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP-DPPOS) Ancillary Studies Committee; Lifestyle Advisory Group; Intervention Committee; Co-Chair Lifestyle; Advisory Group; Protocol Oversight Program Committee. NIH funded Look AHEAD Trial (Action for Health in Diabetes)- Weight Loss Intervention Committee; Lifestyle Resource Core; Website Review Committee. NIH funded Studies to Treat or Prevent Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes (STOPP-T2D)- Standard Diabetes Education Committee for TODAY (Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth); Lifestyle Intervention Committee.
Awards: Young Dietitian of the Year; Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service; Nominee American Dietetic Association Clinical Excellence Award; American Dietetic Association New Researchers Award; Who’s Who of American Women; ADAF Mary P Huddleson Award; Research Practice Group First Author Award; ADAF Presidents’ Circle Nutrition Education Award; DCE Publications Award; Massachusettes Dietetic Association Annie Galbraith Outstanding Dietitian Award; ADAF Award for Excellence in Dietetics Research.
Education: MS, Clinical Nutrition, emphasis on education, Boston University, Boston, MA; BS, Food Science and Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
What related experience and skills have you obtained to prepare you to be an ADA leader?
I was co-founder and Chair of the Massachusetts Gerontological Nutrition practice group. I’ve been a co-investigator in 4 multi-center clinical trials and appointed to national committees that oversee the nutrition interventions. I was elected Chair of the Dietitians in the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. For Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group, I was elected secretary and have interfaced with them as theme editor for newsletters that focused on translation of research to practice.
What do you perceive as an important issue impacting the dietetics profession today?
A very important issue impacting dietetics professionals is the need to conduct and translate evidence-based research into clinical practice. More dietetics professionals need skills to critically evaluate new research and disseminate clinical implications of that research to their peers in clinical practice. We need to increase research funding opportunities for our members so that they can design and conduct such research. We need to position ourselves to be the experts in the area of nutrigenomics.
How would you encourage and promote diversity if elected? Much of the multi-center research that I have participated in has had requirements for substantial minority representation among the research participants. To maximize the effectiveness of the nutrition and lifestyle interventions, the research centers have sought after dietitians of similar racial and ethnic backgrounds to provide the interventions. I would encourage and promote diversity by using my research networks across the country to identify qualified dietitians with the appropriate expertise to collaborate on new initiatives.
Print Version