Each award recognizes the outstanding impact Friedman School alumni have had on the field of nutrition science and policy. Help us recognize our remarkable Friedman School graduates by nominating someone today!
Award Descriptions
Excellence in Nutrition Award
This award is presented to an individual who has conducted cutting-edge or high-impact work in their field. The recipient will be a strong leader, a respected expert in their profession, and have made outstanding contributions throughout their career.
Leah Horowitz Award - In memory of Leah Horowitz (FPAN ’06)
This award is presented to an individual who demonstrates a substantial commitment to community impact in the United States or internationally. The recipient must strive to bridge cultures and achieve lasting change by empowering individuals in their local communities with skills, leadership opportunities and/or education.
Rising Star Award
This award is presented to an individual who is making a significant impact on the field of nutrition science and policy and has graduated within the past 10 years. The recipient must be making a considerable contribution to their respective career field and demonstrate a continued commitment to effect change in their area(s) of expertise.
2020 Award Recipients
Patricia Kearney, N78, AG81 - Excellence in Nutrition Award
Corey O'Hara, Ph.D., F08, N08, NG19 - Leah Horowitz Award In memory of Leah Horowitz (FPAN ’06)
Corey O’Hara is Nepal Country Director for iDE, which creates livelihood opportunities for the rural poor through market-based approaches in agriculture, nutrition, and sanitation. He has worked across sectors for a decade and a half on international economic development, public health, and environmental issues.
In 2019, Corey completed a PhD from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, with research on novel approaches to understand and evaluate dietary quality in rural contexts. His recent work has also focused on women’s empowerment in rural Nepal and on interventions designed to improve household and community resilience to the effects of climate change. Corey serves as Managing Editor of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin and is Associate Editor for topics related to sustainable diets and food systems.
Previously, Corey worked for the Clinton Global Initiative building global public-private partnerships, monitoring and communicating their impact, and liaising with the Foreign Policy Office of former President Clinton. From 2008 to 2011, he also coordinated the Haiti Action Network, a multisector group of actors engaged in long-term development, recovery, and reconstruction efforts. Corey holds dual Masters degrees from the Friedman School and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts and an A.B. in Linguistics from Harvard University.
Lauren Au, Ph.D., NG13 - Rising Star Award
Dr. Lauren Au is an Associate Researcher at the University of California’s Nutrition Policy Institute in Berkeley. Dr. Au’s research is centered on identifying effective policies and large-scale programs to improve dietary quality and health behaviors in low-income mothers, infants, and children, as well as evaluate school-based nutrition policies and programs to reduce obesity in underserved populations. Dr. Au obtained her MS in Nutrition and Public Health and RD from Columbia University, and her PhD in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley and also served as a nutrition advisor to U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Lauren is also an avid swimmer and has successfully swam the English Channel, Manhattan Island, and the Catalina Channel.
View a list of Alumni Association Award Recipients through the years.
Awards Process
Every year members of the Awards Committee and alumni volunteers review nominations for select awards. Below is a timeline of the process:
- September: Call for nominations
- November: Deadline to submit nominations and express interest in reviewing
-
December: Volunteers will receive nomination packets for their assigned awards. Committee members are assigned two award categories and non-committee volunteers are assigned one award category. Assignments are determiend by Friedman staff to limit bias and ensure a fair evaluation process
- For example, a committee member might review both the Leah Horowitz and the Rising Star nominations, while a non-committee volunteer might only review the Excellence in Nutrition nominations
-
January: All evaluation forms are due at the beginning of January. Evaluations are to be returned to Jessica Halladay, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations. She will notify you of the exact due date
- Once the evaluation deadline passes, the Awards Committee will have a call to review the nominees with the highest scores based on the evaluation forms. The three recipients are finalized during this call
- Following the call, the Awards Committee Chair notifies the recipients and their nominators of their selection
- February/March: The alumni awards recipients are announced to all alumni
-
April: The awards ceremony takes place at Thrive during the Gershoff Symposium
- This year's ceremony is on Friday, April 24, 2020
- Summer: Nominations for the next year open again
Who’s Eligible?
- All alumni of the Frances Stern Nutrition Center Dietetic internship/M.S. program
- All alumni of the Friedman School of Nutrition programs (M.S. & Ph.D.)
Nominees can be:
-
Working domestically or abroad
-
Engaged in any aspect of the nutrition field (agriculture, applied science, basic science, business and industry, clinical dietetics, communication, community outreach, education, policy, public health, media, non-profit organization, research, sustainability, or other fields)
-
Yourself! Please feel free to self-nominate for any of these awards