Lifetime Impact: Professor Sudha Raj Receives Honorary Award for Contributions to Nutrition and Dietetics.

For more than 20 years, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Professor of Education and Graduate Program Director Sudha Raj of the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics has provided support, guidance and inspiration to generations of aspiring students. nutritionists.

In early October, Raj was recognized for his influential work in nutrition when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (DIFM), a subgroup of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. .

“Sudha brings a unique approach to teaching and mentoring students and colleagues,” says Lynn Brann, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. He willingly shares his time and knowledge with anyone who wants to know more about the benefits of nutrition.

Raj, a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, received the award during the 2024 Food and Nutrition Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Raj says: “I am honored and humbled to receive the DIFM Lifetime Achievement award. “I am very grateful to those who elected me, my colleagues, the students who continue to encourage me every day and my family who have been supporting me in all my activities.

He says: “This wonderful honor to recognize my work inspires and motivates me. “It inspires me to continue to make a positive impact in the field of nutrition and dietetics.”

According to the DIFM website, the purpose of the Lifetime Achievement Award is “to recognize a DIFM member whose lifetime contributions have advanced the principles and practices of integrative and functional medicine and nutrition.” This award will honor an individual who has ‘made a difference’ in education and professional development, has improved professional opportunities and development for nutritionists and nutritionists, and has demonstrated excellence as evidenced by innovative work, innovative and recognized as an example to professional peers. ”

Raj has been a difference maker on the Syracuse University campus and around the world. He was involved in the development and implementation of one of the first pilot studies to investigate the dietary patterns of Asian Indian immigrants in the United States, and most recently was a one of the two members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics responsible for the formation of the members’ interest group. for Asian Indians in Dietetics.

“Sudha has been a leader in the field of nutrition and nutrition in the field of healthy and effective nutrition for many years,” Brann says. “Thanks to his leadership and encouragement, many educators attended a multi-day workshop to integrate these ideas into our lessons and curriculum.

“Sudha has been supporting the development of nutritionists who use effective and efficient nutritional therapy through her work as a teacher, practitioner and through her community service,” Brann says.

Eligibility criteria for the Lifetime Achievement Award included two letters of recommendation. Brann wrote one letter, and another from Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, IFNCP, RYT, owner of Nutrition-In-Sight in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Richard says Raj’s extensive and varied career reflects his generous contribution to the profession, his students and all who benefit from his service.

Richard says: “Sudha’s skills and qualities are not only admirable, but the lives she has touched through her contribution, advocacy, wisdom and dedication to her work are immeasurable. “He teaches thoughtfully, deeply and accurately while using the Nutritional Care Method in addition to applying the principles of healthy and effective nutrition.

“Additionally, her work ethic and commitment are further demonstrated by her activities in her family and community, all while advocating for nutrition as an RDN, researcher, writer, teacher, a leader and a helper at different levels,” Richard says. “It is an honor and a pleasure to call him a colleague, mentor and friend and to serve our mission with him.”

Although the Lifetime Achievement Award marks a milestone in Raj’s career, it does not mark the end of his continued mentorship of students and outstanding contributions to the practice of integrative and functional nutrition.

“I am very grateful to my colleagues in nutrition for their unwavering support and encouragement as I navigate the field of integrative and functional medicine as a specialty within the field. wide range of nutrition for twenty years,” Raj says. “They helped me create professional tools and curriculum for education and training.

“My colleagues at DIFM have been wonderful mentors; they have taught me and given me many opportunities to share my knowledge in the form of professional development offerings for nutritionists,” he says. “I also want to thank Syracuse University and Falk College for to support my academic and research interests and to enhance my academic interests. I hope I can continue to provide support and inspiration to the next generation of nutritionists. “