Distinguished Lecture Award

The Distinguished Lecture Award honors an Academy member who has been recognized as a notable and inspiring speaker. The member chosen to deliver the Distinguished Lecture Award, formerly known as the Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Lecture Award, is an experienced speaker with the ability to communicate expert knowledge to a broad audience, as well as a dedicated Academy member whose unique experiences and contributions to the profession make them a role model in the field of nutrition and dietetics.

View Nomination Tips and Guidance (PDF).

Qualifications

1. A member of the Academy.
2. Be a recognized speaker:
   • Ability to relate area of expertise to a broad audience.
   • Spoken to diverse professional groups within the last three (3) to five (5) years.
   • Reputation as a speaker of note .
3. Has professional recognition and conduct:
   1. Contribution to the profession through service at the national, state, dietetic practice or member interest (DPG/MIG) groups or district/local levels.
   2. Unique experiences which are of unusual interest to the profession.
   3. Source of inspiration and outstanding role model.
4. Topic to be selected by the speaker should be of widespread interest to Academy members and one normally associated with the speaker's work.

Scoring

Criteria

1. A recognized speaker: (75 points)
   1. Expresses the ability to relate area of expertise to a broad audience.
   2. Spoken to diverse professional groups:
      1. Must include titles, topics, dates, organization and size of audience of five (5) major presentations with summary of attendee evaluations.
   3. Reputation as a speaker of note:
      1. Must include a list of five (5) diverse professional groups spoken to with dates, names of organizations, size of audience and topics within the last five years; these should be different from any already provided.
2. Professional recognition and conduct: (25 points)
   1. Describes contributions to the profession through service at the national, state, dietetic practice and member interest (DPG/MIG) groups or district/local levels.
   2. Provides unique experiences which are of unusual interest to the profession.
   3. Describes sources of inspiration and outstanding role model.

Award Presentation

The Distinguished Lecture Award is selected one year prior to the presentation. The recipient of this year's award will present at next year's Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo.^®