Edna and Robert Langholz International Nutrition Award: Recipients and Contributions

1992

Elsie May Widdowson, PhD, DSc

Among her many accomplishments, she played a major role in developing our present understanding of the relationships of food to child growth. She made a significant contribution to developing food composition tables used throughout the world.

1995

Perla Santos Ocampo, PhD

She is recognized for her outstanding work and accomplishments in pediatric nutrition and the profound effects of diarrheal diseases in infants and children throughout Southeast Asia. She has influenced international recommendations in oral rehydration and nutritional management.

1997

Doris Howes Calloway, PhD, RD

She developed a body of scientific research related to human energy requirements, food consumption and protein in the worldwide community. She gave her time and talents to numerous international organizations working to improve the quality of the world’s food supply.

2004

Andrew (PhD) and Ann (PhD) Prentice

The first husband and wife team to receive this award, the Prentices are recognized for their outstanding contributions to international nutrition. Andrew’s research focuses on pregnancy and lactation, energy requirements and adaptations and malnutrition. Ann’s research is in the area of nutrient requirements for bone health, encompassing the nutritional problems of both affluent and developing societies.

2006

Jean H Hankin, DrPH, MS, MPH, RetRD

Dr. Hankin is Professor and Researcher Emerita, Epidemiology Program, Cancer Research Center and Professor of Public Health, University of Hawaii. Her research focused on the role of diet as a risk factor of the development of chronic diseases among many different populations around the globe. She perfected a dietary methodology that is appropriate for various ethnic groups which revealed the differences in risk factors attributed to diet.

2008

Jorn Dyerberg, MD, PhD

His groundbreaking studies on the health benefits of consuming fish oils provided the foundation for research on omega-3 fatty acids. Dyerberg earned a medical degree from Arhus University in Denmark and a doctorate in medical science with a specialty in lipoproteins in blood. He worked for 15 years as chief physician in the department of clinical chemistry at Aalborg hospital in Denmark and for 17 years as chief physician at Medicinsk Laboratorium, now Capio Diagnostik, one of Europe’s leading private health-care providers. Dyerberg is now medical and scientific advisor for Napro-Pharma Ltd. in Norway.

2012

Ricardo Uauy, PhD, MD

Dr. Uauy is a distinguished scientist in international nutrition with exceptional strengths in leadership and nutrition research. Professor Uauy's influence is substantial, and he is a highly respected advisor to the UN, WHO and FAO. His expertise is wide-ranging and includes basic nutritional science, applied biomedical research, and population-based intervention programs. His research interests include essential fatty acid metabolism, obesity prevention with a life-course perspective, and nutritional needs of older people.

2013

Esther Myers, PhD, RD, FAND

Dr. Myers is an internationally known author, lecturer, educator, and researcher in dietetics and evidence analysis. She held the position of Chief Science Officer for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics from 2000 to July 2012, and her efforts focused on research activities needed for the dietetics profession. She was instrumental in establishing a system to complete systematic reviews on nutrition topics using the Evidence Analysis Library and Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines. Dr. Myers was also valuable in the development of the Nutrition Care Process and International Nutrition and Dietetics Terminology, the standardized language system for nutrition care and electronic health records. She supported the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the formation of the Nutritional Evidence Library (NEL) which supported the 2010 and 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Prior to joining the Academy In 2000, Myers completed her 25-year Air Force career which culminated in serving as Chief Consultant to USAF Surgeon General. During her Air Force career, she was an advocate for the role of dietitians in health promotion and the use of quality improvement methodology.

2017

Irwin Harold Rosenberg, MD

Doctor Irwin Rosenberg is University Professor of Nutrition and Medicine at Tufts University's USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) and the Friedman School of Nutritional Science and Policy. In the 1970’s he was one of the investigators who described Tropical Enteropathy (now Environmental Enteric Dysfunction, EED) in South Asia. His other research interests include the impact of diet and nutrition on aging brain functions with special reference to the vitamins Folic acid and B 12, as well as the regulation of homocysteine metabolism and maintenance of cerebrovascular integrity.

2019

Stanley J. Dudrick, MD

Dr. Dudrick is a surgeon known for his development of intravenous parenteral nutrition, an innovative therapy to nourish individuals during illness and starvation. This development provided an option to healthcare clinicians concerned with their patients’ nutritional status and allowed for a feeding system that bypassed the digestive system. He was involved in the creation of ASPEN and served as the first president of their organization in 1975.

2022

David Kessler, MD

Dr. Kessler served as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1990 to 1997. Under his direction, the FDA announced a number of new programs, including the regulation of the marketing and sale of tobacco products to children, nutrition labeling for food, and the MEDWatch program for reporting adverse events and product problems. His work to implement mandatory nutrition information on food labels has empowered consumers to make healthier choices and gave Registered Dietitians Nutritionists (RDNs) invaluable tools to improve the health of the public.

2024

Johanna Dwyer, ScD, RD

Dr. Dwyer's distinguished career spans over 50 years, beginning as a doctoral student at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she conducted some of the first research on reducing diets and body image in obesity, and the effects of school breakfast programs on school performance. Working closely with her mentor, Dr. Jean Mayer, she helped shape policy on world hunger through work with international organizations like UNICEF. She served as Dr. Mayer’s assistant at the first White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health in 1969, cementing her commitment to national and international policy work. She has published over 550 original research and review articles, and two books. Topics range from vegetarian and alternative lifestyles to preventing diet-related diseases in children and adolescents, chronic diseases in adults and maximizing health in the elderly.