Rachel K. Johnson, an internationally recognized researcher in the area of pediatric nutrition, is the recipient of the American Dietetic Association Foundation's (ADA) 2001 Award for Excellence in Research. The prestigious annual award recognizes outstanding achievement in nutrition research. With nearly 70,000 members, the ADA is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

"ADA and its Foundation are very pleased to recognize Rachel Johnson's many accomplishments as a nutrition science researcher," said Washington, D.C. registered dietitian and ADA President Susan T. Borra. "The purpose of the Award for Excellence in Research is to honor dietetics professionals for their innovation, creativity and leadership in this important area of practice. Through her work, Rachel Johnson exemplifies these qualities."

For Johnson, acting dean of UVM's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the award is a career highlight. "This is particularly meaningful to me because it is the highest recognition for excellence in nutrition research awarded by my peers," she said. "It recognizes a career-long commitment to conducting research that positively impacts the health and quality of life for children."

Among her research accomplishments, Johnson has:

• Demonstrated that maternal employment does not have a negative impact on the diets of American preschool children.

• Found that only those U.S. children who consume milk at the noon-time meal come close to meeting their daily recommendations for calcium intake.

• Demonstrated that on average, low-income children with parents who smoke had a poorer quality diet than low-income children of nonsmokers, thus increasing their future risk of chronic disease.

• Showed that a mother's milk intake is a strong predictor of her child's milk intake. Thus, mothers should be encouraged to serve as positive role models for their children by drinking milk regularly.

• Demonstrated that U.S. children who drink flavored milk have higher total milk intakes, higher calcium intakes but similar added sugar intakes in comparison to children who do not drink flavored milk. Children who drink flavored milk drink less soft drinks and fruit drinks

In addition, Johnson was appointed by the U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services and the Surgeon General to the 2000 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The guidelines are the foundation of U.S. nutrition policy and answer the question "What should Americans eat to be healthy?" Other aspects of her work have received national media coverage from outlets such as The New York Times, National Public Radio and CNN.

Johnson currently serves on the National Academy of Sciences - Institute of Medicine Panel on the Dietary Reference Intakes for the Macronutrients. In May, she received the 2001 Outstanding Dietitian of the Year Award from the Vermont Dietetic Association.

Johnson's scholarly interests include the study of nutrition and young children, specifically the effect of changing social and demographic trends on children's diets and the development of valid methods to assess people's dietary intake in order to better understand the role of diet in health maintenance and disease prevention.

The ADA presented Johnson with its Excellence in Research Award at its annual meeting in St. Louis, Mo., on Sunday, Oct. 21. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well being. For more information, visit ADA's Web site, www.eatright.org.