............. D REPORTS..................................................... ..................................................................ADA REPORTS

Janice N. Neville, DSc, MPH, RD,receives 1994 Copher Memorial Award

he Marjorie Hulsizer Copher award is the highest honorbestowed by The American Dietetic Association (ADA). Itrecognizes a preeminent member of the Association who has

given years of expertise to the field and time and energy to theAssociation and who exemplifies outstanding and admirablecharacteristic traits. Janice N. Neville, DSc, MPH, RD, has beennamed the 1994 recipient.

Neville has had a long and prestigious ca-reer as a nutrition educator. She began in 1964as an assistant research professor in nutritionat the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa,after receiving her doctorate. A year later shemoved to Cleveland, Ohio, at the invitation ofHelen A. Hunscher (who initiated the firstpublic health nutrition program in the coun-try), andbecame an assistant research profes-sor of nutrition at Case Western Reserve Uni-versity (CWRU). She worked her way up theacademic ladder to serve as chairman of theDepartment of Nutrition from 1974 to 1982.Currently, she is a professor of nutrition in theSchool of Medicine and School of Dentistry atCWRU.

The research aspect of the dietetics field isalso important to Neville. According to Karen M. Fiedler, PhD, RD,"central to her [Neville's] philosophy of nutrition is the belief inscientific research completed with integrity, precise technique,and exhaustive reporting. She...speaks adamantly against re-ports claiming to be nutrition research that have no componentthat addresses the food intake of subjects" (J Am Diet Assoc.1987; 87:1562).

Neville has loaned her nutrition expertise to many groups overthe years including the National Institutes of Health; NationalHeart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Food and Drug Administration;Veterans Administration; Public Health Service, Bureau of Mater-nal and Child Health and Bureau of Health Professions; andtextbook publishers.

Neville has also served ADA well. She was President from 1987to 1988. During that year, Neville concentrated her efforts onimproving the visibility of dietitians; promoting quality assurancewith standards of practice; emphasizing the importance of dietet-ics to the public; coaching dietitians in research methods; andadvocating planning for the future. Her other activities within theAssociation include: Area V Coordinator (1978-1981); manu-script reviewer for the Journal (1981-1983); Speaker of theHouse of Delegates (1983-1984); and Chairman of the Committeeon House of Delegates Bylaws (1975-1977), the National AdvisoryCommittee for Dial-a-Dietitian (1975-1978), and the StrategicPlanning Committee (1986-1988). Her work with ADA Founda-tion includes terms as Chairman of both the Nominating Commit-tee (1988) and the Todhunter Fund Committee (1993-1994).Neville served as President of the Ohio Dietetic Association from1974 to 1975. She is a member of four dietetic practice groups:Public Health Nutrition; Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness

Nutritionists; Dietetic Educators of Practitioners; and NutritionEducators of Health Professionals.

As a result of her dedication and enthusiasm for dietetics andnutrition, Neville has been honored with many awards throughouther career. Some of those notable recognitions are a listing inWho's Who ofAmerican Women, the Meritorious Service Medal

from the American Heart Association (North-east Ohio Affiliate), a certificate of merit fromthe Ohio Public Health Association, the CaseInstitute of Technology Centennial Medal fromCWRU, and a service award from the Food andDrug Administration.

Neville received her doctorate and a master'sdegree from the University of Pittsburgh; asecond master's degree from the University ofAlabama, Tuscaloosa; and her bachelor's de-gree from the Carnegie Institute of Technol-ogy, Pittsburgh, Pa. Neville credits hersonJimand daughter Lynn Wessner with being hermotivators and partners. As children, theymade it possible for her to participate as avolunteer in professional and communitygroups and they shared her efforts. Now theyprovide a network of expertise in computers,

community organization, music, and many enterprises - theycall it Neville & Associates. Jim's wife Virginia is a chartermember.Her grandchildren Margaret and Janice Wessner together withDavid and Elizabeth Neville have also joined the firm.

The plaque presented to Neville recognizes her:* personal commitment and lifelong contributions to the profes-sion of dietetics;* career as an educator, researcher, author, and practitioner;* ability to promote nutrition monitoring and to obtain recogni-tion of the dietitian-scientist as an important member of themedical nutrition community;* leadership at the national, state, and district levels of theAssociation; and* enthusiasm, credibility, and effectiveness in practice that havemade her a role model, mentor, and respected colleague amongstudents, dietitians, and allied health professionals.

Accepting the award, Neville said, in part:"I am grateful to the members of The American Dietetic

Association, the Barnes Hospital Administration, and the MarjorieHulsizer Copher family for this award. Knowing this is the 50thyear for the Copher Award makes it all the more precious. TheAssociation celebrated its 75th Anniversary a few years ago, andI was lucky enough to be a part of the Cleveland Connection, agroup of Cleveland members determined to commemorate ADA,its founding in Cleveland, and its progress since 1917. We all cameaway from the experience with an overwhelming respect for theaction, the excellence, and the remarkable record of achievementengendered all because of two women who asked 'why don't we...'and wrote a letter inviting dietitians to dare the unknown. Lulu G.Graves and Lenna F. Cooper grace the list of Copher recipients as

1322 / NOVEMBER 1994 VOLUME 94 NUMBER 11

do many other fine and extraordinary women. I am astonished anddelighted to be in their company.

ADA began with 38 charter members. The honorary memberswe welcome today will receive a crystal bearing a depiction of theentrance of The American Dietetic Association building in Chi-cago and the Association's logo. To me, it illustrates the door ofopportunity available to each of us and the call to action withoutwhich visions cannot come true. The ADA Foundation, estab-lished just a little more than 25 years ago, now provides supportfor education and research in dietetics that our founders neverdreamed of. The National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics is theculmination of efforts by members who believe ADA has a missionto provide resources for the American people.

In 1992, our motto was "The American Dietetic Association -75 Years of Food and Nutrition Leadership." Imagine what the

motto and the historical record might be in 2017! ADA has morethan 65,000 members; a superb staff; a strategic plan; and the willto adapt, grow, and create new arenas for practice. ADA is knownto the media, public and private agencies, and to the Americanpublic. This comes from dietetics professionals working togetherwith common goals. And I have learned, as have most of you, thatthe friendships formed in the process are lifelong. Thank you forgiving me the opportunity to work with you and to be with youtoday. Many of you share this wonderful award with me. Thankyou all."

J. Michael McGinnis, MD, MA, MPP, andF. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, become honorary members

n October 17, 1994, at the Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla,The American Dietetic Association awarded honorary mem-berships to J. Michael McGinnis, MD, MA, MPP, and F. Xa-

vier Pi-Sunyer, MD. McGinnis is adeputy assistant secretary for healthand an assistant surgeon general withthe US Department of Health andHuman Services in Washington, DC.Pi-Sunyer is the director of the Divi-sion of Endocrinology, Diabetes, andNutrition at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hos-pital Center, New York, NY.

The citation for McGinnis reads:In recognition of· his dedication to the production ofthe Surgeon General's Report onNutrition and Health, which opened J Michael McGinnismany doors for and continued thenational dialogue in public health and nutrition and dietetics. Heis currently championing a follow-up report on fat and health;* his leadership in the ongoing discourse and review of theDietary Guidelines for Americans. The fourth edition of thisbenchmark of dietary guidance will be supported by his officeduring the upcoming year;* his vision to develop and support the concept of national healthobjectives, leading to the Healthy People Year 2000, which in-cludes nutrition as a flagship objective;* his support of the need to reform national policy for nutritionlabeling of food products;* his active role in supporting the field of nutrition and the profes-sion of dietetics over the years, particularly nutrition programswithin the US Department of Health and Human Services; and

* his thorough understanding and adept skill to bridge nutritionpolicy and nutrition practice. Many colleagues have stated, "[theword] nutrition is never far from his lips." Without his efforts, it is

certain that the attention to nutritionin the United States would not havenearly the stature it possesses.

The citation for Pi-Sunyer reads:In recognition of:* his support of dietetics profession-als as part of the research team byproviding unique opportunities for di-etitians to contribute to nutrition re-search programs;* his identification of dietetics pro-fessionals as core members of themultidisciplinary health care team;

F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer * his dedicated leadership in profes-sional associations including his ser-

vice as the 1993 president of the American Diabetes Association;* his scholarly research on obesity and diabetes and the care heprovides to patients as chief of Endocrinology, Diabetes, andNutrition at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center;* his dedication to the training of medical and nutrition studentsat The College of Physicians and Surgeons and Teachers Collegeat Columbia University;* his ongoing commitment to providing medical nutrition therapyin the treatment and prevention of disease; and* his ability to educate, motivate, and inspire practitioners atconferences and professional meetings including the 1991 MarySwartz Rose Memorial Lecture delivered at the Greater New YorkDietetic Association.

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION / 1323