A dietetics professor at Brigham Young University was recently awarded one of the prestigious 2013 Medallion Awards from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.
Nora K. Nyland, an associate professor of nutrition, dietetics and food science and the program director at BYU, was honored in an award ceremony in Houston, Oct. 19, along with seven other recipients.
Given each year since 1976, the Medallion Award honors Academy members who have shown dedication to the high standards of the dietetics profession through active participation, leadership and dedication to service in dietetics and allied health fields.
“We can think of no person more deserving of this honor, the Academy Medallion Award, than Nora Nyland,” said Gina Peterson-Young, president of the Utah Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, in her nomination letter. “Her leadership and passion have made a difference in the lives of the dietetic professional and students she has touched.”
Nyland has been a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics since 1976. Her lengthy service to the Academy includes: member of the Dietetics Workforce Demand Study Task Force; chair of the Council on Future Practice; chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education; member of the House of Delegates; reviewer for the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; and president of the Utah Dietetic Association.
Some of the significant accomplishments during her tenure as president of the Utah Dietetic Association included hiring a lobbyist and administrative assistant for the state association and developing a policy and procedures manual for the board of directors.
An authority on dietetics education, Nyland has taught and mentored more than a thousand dietetic students over nearly 30 years. She also developed rigorous and nationally respected Coordinated Program (CP), Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) and Dietetic Internship (DI) programs. In 1996, Nyland received the Award of Merit from the Utah Dietetics Association and the Outstanding Dietetics Educator Award from the American Dietetic Association.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the academy at www.eatright.org.
Writer: Hwa Lee
