American Dietetic Association Will Present Medallion Awards to Eight Registered Dietitians for Service to ADA and Dietetics Profession

American Dietetic Association Will Present Medallion Awards to Eight Registered Dietitians for Service to ADA and Dietetics Profession

FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 1, 2007

Media contacts: Jennifer Starkey, Julia Dombrowski                            
                         800/877-1600, ext. 4802, 4769
                         media@eatright.org

Editors: Please note local interest.

CHICAGO – The American Dietetic Association will present its prestigious 2007 Medallion Awards September 30 to eight registered dietitians, recognizing their outstanding service and leadership to ADA and the dietetics profession.
 
The winners will receive their awards at an honors breakfast during ADA’s annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, to be held September 29 to October 2 in Philadelphia. Thousands of the nation’s top nutrition researchers, registered dietitians and other industry leaders will attend ADA’s conference.

Medallion Awards, given each year since 1976, honor ADA members who have shown dedication to the high standards of the dietetics profession through active participation, leadership and devotion to serving others in dietetics and allied health fields. The following are ADA’s 2007 Medallion Award winners:

  • Ronni Chernoff, PhD, RD, FADA, CSG, Little Rock, Ark., associate director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center for Education and Evaluation at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. An ADA member since 1968, Chernoff specializes in the nutritional care of older adults and helped develop the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s gerontological nutrition specialty credential for registered dietitians. She has served on ADA’s Board of Directors, Commission on Dietetic Registration and Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education and was ADA’s 1996-97 president. Chernoff received the ADA Foundation’s first Award for Excellence in the Practice of Education and Research in 1988.
  • Michele M. Fairchild, MA, RD, LDN, FADA, Reisterstown, Md., regional vice-president of Morrison Healthcare Food Services. A specialist in food management and dietetics education, Fairchild has been an ADA member since 1972. She has held management, clinical, business and consulting, research and teaching positions. Fairchild was a founding member of the Women’s Health Initiative at Yale School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she directed the dietetic internship. Fairchild has served as chair of the Commission on Dietetic Registration and ADA’s Clinical Nutrition Management practice group and since 1987 has been a reviewer for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
  • Georgia G. Kostas, MPH, RD, Dallas, Texas, president of Georgia G. Kostas Nutrition Associates. An ADA member since 1978, Kostas is a pioneer in the field of nutrition therapy for disease prevention. She founded and for 25 years directed the nutrition program at the Cooper Clinic, one of the first preventive nutrition programs in the country and a model for programs that offer individualized nutrition counseling in a medical setting. Kostas has written several books including The Cooper Clinic Solution to the Diet Revolution (Good Health Press 2001, revised 2007). Kostas was named the 2006 Distinguished Dietitian by the Texas Dietetic Association.
  • Idamarie Laquatra, PhD, RD, LDN, Pittsburgh, Pa., director of global nutrition at H. J. Heinz Company. A member of ADA since 1976, Laquatra is known for her expertise in bringing the science of nutrition to the food industry as well as to consumers. She has worked as a nutrition consultant and university instructor and frequently speaks to corporate, educational and health professional groups. Laquatra has served in ADA’s House of Delegates and on committees and task forces including the Strategic Planning Conference, Council on Research, Association Positions Committee and the Nutrition Counseling Evidence Analysis Workgroup. She was named Outstanding Dietitian in 2002 by the Pennsylvania Dietetic Association.
  • Marilyn Laskowski-Sachnoff, MA, RD, Edison, N.J., dean of the Division of Business, Computer Science and Engineering Technologies at Middlesex County College. Previously, she was professor and chairman of the college’s department of hotel, restaurant and institutional management and director of dietetic technology. An ADA member since 1973, Laskowski-Sachnoff is a specialist in dietetics education, foodservice systems management and technology. She has held more than two dozen elected or appointed positions at ADA, including treasurer, Finance Committee chair and member of the Board of Directors, House of Delegates, Commission on Dietetic Registration and the Future Practice and Education Task Force.
  • Vivian B. Pilant, PhD, RD, Columbia, S.C., director of the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of School Food Service and Nutrition, a position she has held since 1979. An ADA member since 1973, Pilant is a recognized authority on children’s nutrition, particularly school meal programs and nutrition education. She wrote ADA’s position paper on “Local Support for Nutrition Integrity in Schools” and is a past-president of the American School Food Service Association (now School Nutrition Association). In 1994, Pilant received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award, for her leadership and advocacy in children’s health.
  • Margaret A. Powers, PhD, RD, CDE, St. Paul, Minn., manager of professional product development at the International Diabetes Center. A member of ADA since 1975, Powers has been instrumental in advancing and expanding the role of registered dietitians in treating and preventing diabetes. She is the author of Handbook of Diabetes Nutrition Management (Aspen 1986, revised 1996), the first textbook devoted specifically to nutrition and diabetes. She has served on ADA’s Board of Directors, Nominating Committee and Evidence-based Task Force for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, and has served in numerous positions with the American Diabetes Association and American Association of Diabetes Educators.
  • Naomi Trostler, PhD, RD, Kfar Saba, Israel, a retired faculty member and former director of the School of Nutritional Sciences at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A dietitian in Israel since the 1960s, Trostler has been an ADA member for more than 30 years. She co-founded the American Overseas Dietetic Association, ADA’s international affiliate; she also co-founded the Israel Dietetic Association and served as its president. As a researcher, Trostler has studied the nutrition and health of teens in the Middle East and Africa. Trostler serves in ADA’s House of Delegates and on the Diversity Committee and was instrumental in creating ADA’s new Dietetic Practice Based Research Network.

With more than 67,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

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