PNPG Grants and Awards

Outstanding Member of the Year
The Outstanding Member of the Year recognizes outstanding leadership contributions to pediatric nutrition and/or maternal and child health. The following are criteria for award selection: (1) PNPG membership for three or more years, and (2) outstanding service, accomplishments, and community outreach in pediatric nutrition or maternal and child health as exemplified by research, publication, or program development. Nominate a deserving colleague for this award. The nomination should include a cover letter stating why the person is deserving of the award and curriculum vitae or resume that outline the nominee’s accomplishments and commitment to pediatric nutrition. Click here to submit an application.

Published Research Award

The award recognizes outstanding research in pediatric nutrition and/or maternal and child health by a PNPG member published in a peer-reviewed journal. Selection criteria are as follows: (1) PNPG membership for at least two years, (2) being first author or having a primary role in the research and manuscript development of a peer-reviewed publication during the previous calendar year describing research applied to pediatric nutrition and/or maternal and child health. The recipient will receive $500 and be recognized during the PNPG member meeting at FNCE. Click here to submit an application.

Research Grant Award

One PNPG Research Grant awards will provide $25,000 each to support research in the area of pediatric nutrition. Preference will be given to emerging researchers to encourage research within their institution. To be eligible for the grant, at least one of the investigators must be a member of PNPG. Data collection must be started within one year of the award. Any manuscripts or materials resulting from the supported research will credit PNPG with the support provided. Award recipients will be required to present a webinar to PNPG members and/or submit a report to Building Blocks for Life The funded project must receive Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects approval or granted exempt status before May 15^th of the year of application in order for funds to be distributed. Click here to submit an application.

Creative Nutrition Education Award

Eligibility criteria for this award are as follow: (1) applicants must be PNPG members for at least two years prior to applying;(2) the educational approach is used in the practice where the applicant is affiliated or will be implemented within a year of receipt of award, (3) applicants may not win the award more than once in a three-year period; and (4) a commercial firm or a national organization may not have developed the education approach. To be considered for the award, the applicant should prepare a summary or outline of no more than two typewritten pages describing the project (objective, methods, budget, and effectiveness/evaluation). Applicants will be considered for this award based on originality, appropriateness, quality of content, pediatric nutrition application, effectiveness, learner participation, and aesthetics and technical quality (for tools only). The recipient will receive $500 and be recognized during the PNPG member meeting at FNCE. Click here to submit an application.

Recognized Neonatal RDN Award

The Recognized Neonatal RDN Award recognizes clinical, research, education, and service contributions to the area of neonatal nutrition. The following are criteria for award selection: (1) Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (2) Employment in a level 3 or 4 NICU setting equivalent to >10,000 hours. (3) PNPG member for at least program year of nomination. Prior recipients of this award are not eligible to apply. Nominate a deserving colleague for this award. The nomination should include a curriculum vitae or resume of the person you are nominating that outlines their accomplishments and commitment to neonatal nutrition. Nomination must also include a letter of sponsorship from the nominee’s institution from an RDN or professional contact outside the field of dietetics which includes specific examples of the nominee’s accomplishments. Self nominations are accepted. Click here to submit an application.

Dietetic Internship/Pre-Professional Scholarship

PNPG is again proud to offer the Dietetic Internship/Pre-Professional Scholarship to current members who are enrolled in an ACEND-accredited program (Dietetic Internship, Future Education Model Graduate Program, or Coordinated Master’s Program). The scholarship is for those intending to pursue a career in pediatric nutrition after completion of their current training program and will be awarded for the 2022-2023 academic year. The amount of the scholarship is $1000. Awardees will be connected with the PNPG mentoring committee to provide tools on how to seek out pediatric experience. Qualifications: (1) Intent to pursue a career in pediatric nutrition after completion of the current program; (2) Member of PNPG.  Preference will be given to a candidate with pediatric experience. Click here to submit an application.

2022 Award Winners

Research Grant Awards

Congratulations to Diane Lindsay-Adler, MS, RDN, CDN, who was selected to receive the PNPG Research Grant Award for her project entitled “Taste and Smell Sensitivity of Children with Obesity and Asthma.” This single-center, prospective, cross-sectional, exploratory study of school-aged children with asthma with or without obesity and age and sex-matched, healthy, non-obese controls will be investigating the relationship between taste and smell perception in children with asthma and obesity and comparing these relationships to non-obese children with asthma and healthy controls. Diane is currently a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Boston Children’s Health Physicians (BCHP) division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy, Immunology, and Sleep Medicine. We congratulate Diane and look forward to seeing the results of her study!

Congratulations to Dr. Lynn Brann, Ph.D., RDN, FAND, who was selected to receive the PNPG Community Research Grant Award for her project, “Cultivating self-regulation and healthy food intake: Parental and caregiver engagement to support mindful eating behaviors among young children.” This qualitative research design will focus on the development and testing of the mindfulness components for parents and caregivers learning mindful eating and positive feeding practices. She will pilot-test the lesson content with parents of preschoolers and childcare providers for feasibility, acceptability, and mode of delivery and, based on feedback from parents and caregivers, modify the lesson content and adapt it for the preferred virtual delivery method. Dr. Brann is currently the Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food
Studies, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Syracuse University. We congratulate Dr. Brann and look forward to seeing the results of her study!

Creative Nutrition Education Award

Congratulations to Robin Nuse, RD, CSP, LDN, CLC, who was selected to receive the PNPG Creative Nutrition Education Award for her project entitled “Nemours FARM Nutrition Videos.” Nemours Children’s Hospital (NCH), located in Wilmington, Delaware, provides primary and specialty pediatric care. Robin’s committee is responsible for growing fresh produce on the Hospital grounds and educating families and employees on growing a variety of produce and herbs at home in conjunction with healthy nutrition messaging. Through the “FARM Nutrition
Videos,” they will educate patients and their families on safe food handling and preparation. Viewers will also learn about the benefits of incorporating fresh produce into meals and the specific nutrition associated with the fruit or vegetables highlighted in each video. We congratulate Robin and wish you much success with your videos!

 
Published Research Award

Congratulations to Melissa Pflugh Prescott, Ph.D., R.D.N., FAND, for receiving the Published Research Award for her publication “Effects of Longer Seated Lunch Time on Food Consumption and Waste in Elementary and Middle School-age Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” The study assessed the effect of a more extended seated lunchtime on food consumption and waste among elementary and middle school-age children. The findings demonstrated in this crossover trial of 241 lunch observations from 38 children that 20 minutes of seated lunchtime were associated with significantly less waste of fruits and vegetables compared with 10 minutes of seated lunchtime. Results from this study support a policy that requires 20 minutes of seated lunchtime for school-age children, leading to better diet quality and reduced food waste. Praise Melissa and her colleagues for a vital research publication for school-age children feeding when food waste and healthy eating are essential.

 
Outstanding Member Award

PNPG is proud to announce our 2021-2022 Outstanding Member of the Year, Leslie Hope Wills, MA, RD, CSP, IBCLC. L. Hope Wills is an accomplished leader of pediatric nutrition, having held a variety of pediatrics-related positions Nutrition faculty for Leadership Education
Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), Program Director USC UCEDD Dietetic Internship; and lecturer at USC School of Preventive Medicine and Gerontology as well as clinical service at High-Risk Infant Follow Clinic, CHLA, USC UCEDD Feeding Development Clinic, Audrey Hepburn CARES Center, and Lactation Support. Hope has served as the Roundtable Editor, Infant Child Adolescent, ACEND reviewer, Clinical Director, Health Promotions for Special Olympics, Reviewer for Pediatric Journal of Nursing, JPEN, and JAND, Chair of NCPRO, and Planning Committee for Breastfeeding Summit for Breastfeed LA. She has had several Peer Reviewed publications and textbooks. Over the years, she has contributed numerous Posters and Presentations on pediatric topics, including breastfeeding and nutrition for children with special health care needs. Thank you, Hope, for all you have done for our profession and DPG!

Pre-Professional Scholarships

Congratulations to Elizabeth Gutierrez for her selection as the 2021 PNPG Pre-Professional Practice Scholarship recipient! Elizabeth graduated with a BS & MS in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Her professors have
acknowledged Elizabeth for her excellent pediatric research and extracurricular activities. Based on her experience in Education and Training for Health, she was outstanding at providing bite-sized nutrition education for children that they could apply to their daily lives. Elizabeth created
healthy recipes that coincided with the nutrition lesson and addressed children's allergies in the classroom.

 
Congratulations to Karey Fenning for her selection as the 2021 PNPG Pre-Professional Practice Scholarship recipient! Karey graduated with a BS in Nutrition at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, and will begin the MS portion in May 2022, along with her supervised practice. Karey has
been working as a dietetic technician for patients at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for the past four years. She is passionate about pediatric care and enjoys working on quality improvement projects. 

Past PNPG's Recipients of Grants and Awards

(awarded in spring for next academic year)

(awarded in spring for next academic year)

Note: members whose names vary from Academy and PNPG membership information may have been unintentionally excluded from this list. If you have historical knowledge of past PNPG grant and award winners, please contact the Website Monitor at inquiriespnpg@gmail.com with corrections/additions.