Nutrition Heroes

Part of Ken Roberts’ martial arts training involved learning how nutrition affects athletic performance and recovery, which he implemented with recruits and drill instructors.

Brenda Richardson is the recipient of the 2019 Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Lecture Award.

Stella Hall Cash is the recipient of the 2019 Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award, the highest honor the Academy bestows on a member.

After earning a doctorate in nutrition sciences and completing two postdoctoral positions, Hall embarked on a journey to become a registered dietitian nutritionist.

For as long as she can remember, Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, was interested in food, cooking, fitness and weight-related issues.

At Mercy LIFE Valley View, a group home for elderly deaf people, Beatrice Agar is responsible for all things food and nutrition.

For eight years, registered dietitian nutritionist Garrett Berdan worked in the Pacific Northwest as a consultant for child nutrition programs.

Albright has an intimate understanding of the difficult journey people with diabetes often face.

Gilbride is the recipient of the 2018 Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award, the highest honor the Academy bestows on a member.

“I try to demonstrate organization, enjoyment, integrity, safety, kindness and providing challenging material in an atmosphere that promotes equality, respect and constructive feedback.”

Collazo-Colón is a clinical dietitian in the High Intensity Psychiatric Unit at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System in Tuskegee, Ala.

As a professor of nutrition, Derelian teaches students in classes such as food law and nutrition education and communications.

From the food placed on the plate to the people who prepare and serve it to kids, Hayes is a champion for school nutrition.

At the age of 7, Mascha Davis and her family became political refugees, fleeing the former Soviet Union and settling in the United States. Shaped by this experience and having traveled while growing up, Davis

For 28 years, registered dietitian nutritionist Susan Weiner has run a private practice specializing in sports nutrition, weight management and, most notably, diabetes education. In a Long Island, New York, office that is more like

For Stephanie Schultz, MSM, RDN, CD, being a dietitian at Festival Foods in Wisconsin means being passionate about helping people make better choices. Customers seek her help for everything from general information about healthy eating

What drew Miriam Frucht to the dietetics profession was a love of providing nutrition education to people who genuinely want to improve their lives. After completing her internship, she was most interested in building a

Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RDN, is dedicated to mastering the art and science of nutrition communication. Affectionately called “Chatty Kathy” as a child, Zelman earned an undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics and a master’s in

Many descriptors apply to Naomi Trostler, PhD, RD, FAND, from international researcher, educator and mentor to consultant, communicator and volunteer. Now, she may add another: 2016 Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award recipient. For more than 30

As a longtime educator at Case Western Reserve University, Mary Beth Kavanagh has a passion for both science and communication. It's no surprise that she's been involved in nutrition and dietetics research for more than

Drawn to nutrition and dietetics from a prevention perspective, Dr. Lauren Au strives to fight and prevent childhood obesity through improving federal nutrition initiatives, such as the National School Lunch Program and the Supplemental Nutrition

When Carol H. Elliott, RDN, LDN, FAND, opened her private practice in 1979, few if any nutrition counseling services were available. "Everyone was surprised because I was thinking outside the box, but I think it

When Jennifer Kerner, RDN, LD, was in college pursuing a chemistry degree, her advisor suggested the dietetics program to combine her passions for science and food. Now, as a clinical dietitian at University Hospitals Case

After a few years on the job, it takes a special case to surprise many health-care workers. For Raffaele DiMatteo, RDN, CDN, a clinical dietitian at New York’s Bellevue Hospital, that surprise came in 2014 when his

In the Boston area, Phyll Dondis Ribakoff, RD, LDN, is active in the fight against hunger and food insecurity. Working with dietetic interns at Sodexo, she teaches how to reach food-insecure families through nutrition and budgeting education, and inspires them to participate in

When Angel Planells, MS, RDN, CD, decided to become a dietitian, he felt he was plunging into a “woman’s world.” He was, after all, one of three men in both his didactic and master’s programs.

Over the course of a few years, Kristina DeMuth, RD, traveled to Haiti many times. During each trip, she learned something new about the country and its people — their history, culture and diet, and

In 1999, Alice J. Lenihan, MPH, RD, LDN, responded to the North Carolina Dietetic Association’s call for Special Olympics World Summer Games volunteers. Since then, the organization has been a big part of her life:

Through her private practice, Renee Simpson, RDN, counsels predominantly African American women because, "with an overwhelming four out of five African American women being obese, I found this to be the niche I needed to

When SeAnne Safaii was in high school, a coach gave her poor nutrition information, which ultimately hurt her athletic performance. That experience, she says, eventually led to a career in dietetics. "That bad experience was

A few years ago, Sarah Mattison Berndt, MS, RD, was working as the University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletics team sports nutritionist. It was a struggle, she says, for many of the athletes to prepare balanced meals required to

Recognizing the needs of the aging population in San Francisco and armed with a passion for community health, Gloria Fishburn began her work with Meals on Wheels of San Francisco eight years ago and hasn’t

He always knew he wanted to help others, but Demetrius Willis, MS, MBA, RD, LDN, didn't have a clear vision of his future until he spent time with clinical dietitians at the oncology hospital where

Heart disease hit home for Jackie Boucher, MS, RD, LD, CDE, senior vice president and chief operating officer at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, when her grandmother Ruth, called her instead of dialing 911 when

In 2012, Katie Ferraro, MPH, RD, CDE, an assistant clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing who helps colleges and universities develop online nutrition curricula, was approached to help develop

Sarah Kuehnert, RDN, LD, CD, is a registered dietitian, but she also dons another hat — that of dairy farmer. It’s a role that comes naturally to her. Having been raised on her family’s dairy

Susan Moores, MS, RD, took her passion for youth garden programs into the big leagues when she created Roots for the Home Team®, an organization that partners with youth garden programs in diverse Twin Cities

What led to your career in nutrition and dietetics? My passion for nutrition stems from the ability to help people achieve health and wellness with food, something that has always been a part of my