Connecticut Registered Dietitian Receives American Dietetic Association’s Highest Award

FOR RELEASE AUGUST 16, 2006

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CHICAGO – Registered dietitian Polly A. Fitz, a former dean and professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut and a self-employed nutrition consultant, has been named the 2006 recipient of the American Dietetic Association’s highest honor, the Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award.

A resident of Branford, Conn., Fitz will receive the Copher Award September 16 at the Opening Session of ADA’s Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Honolulu, Hawaii. Thousands of the nation’s top nutrition researchers, dietetics professionals and industry leaders will attend ADA’s meeting, which runs September 16-19. The Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award, named for an early 20th-century pioneer in dietetics, is given annually to an ADA member in recognition of career achievements and a lifetime of contributions to ADA and to the dietetics profession.

Fitz has held many leadership positions within the American Dietetic Association. She served in the House of Delegates and as a member and chair of the ADA Foundation Board of Directors, the Commission on Dietetic Registration, ADA’s Long-Range Planning Committee, and ADA’s Food and Culinary Professionals practice group. Fitz served three terms on ADA’s Board of Directors and was the Association’s president in 1997-98.

Fitz worked at the University of Connecticut for more than 25 years, specializing in developing and implementing programs in aging, allied health, dietetics and health promotion. She was a member of the multidisciplinary team responsible for planning the university’s School of Allied Health. Fitz was an associate professor and clinical dietetics program director at the school from 1972 to 1976 and served as dean of the school from 1975 to 1986. Fitz retired as a full professor in 1996.

For seven years, Fitz was co-owner of Health Training Resources, which specialized in training programs and products for health professionals. Fitz has been a member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Professions Advisory Committee; director and president of the American Society of Allied Health Professions; member and vice chair of the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences; chair of the Connecticut Department of Health’s Public Health Advisory Council and commissioner of the American Physical Therapy Accreditation Agency.

Fitz is a well-known researcher, author and speaker on issues in allied health and gerontology education, program evaluation and credentialing, health promotion for older adults, and health manpower and policy. Fitz is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and holds a master’s degree in education from Case Western Reserve University.

With approximately 65,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Chicago-based 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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