The AODA gives annually 2 'Star Awards' to members of the International Dietetics Network. One award is for a New IDN Representative and the other to an Active IDN Representative who effectively participate in developing and/or maintaining communication with the network of AODA members within their country or region. He or she is awarded a stipend to attend the annual AODA conference.

This award is sponsored by: Ross Labs, division of Abbott Laboratories

The IDN Star Award Winners for 2001 are:

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Kristof Nordin, Stacia Nordin and Tina Papoutsakis

Our IDN Star

Stacia Nordin, RD is AODA's IDN Representative from Malawi, Africa. Stacia is an excellent example of a Dietitian who applies theory for practical day to day nutrition which affects people. She was educated at Ohio State University and she has been the key promoter of the newly formed Nutrition Society of Malawi (name pending!), acting as Secretary and sponsor. She has served as a Nutritionist in the US Peace Corps in Jamaica from 1992-94 and then in Malawi from 1997-2000. She is now working on various private contracts in Malawi related to Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and sustainable agriculture.

Stacia's work focuses on teaching local communities, including other expatriates, the importance of a balanced, varied diet for good health. Much of her work is geared toward building strong immune systems because of the high rate of preventable diseases, including an extremely high rate of HIV infection in the region. Stacia states that at first, in Malawi, it seemed that there weren't many foods to create a varied diet to improve health, but with extensive research into the foods of the region, she categorized almost 600 local plant foods in Malawi into 6 food groups, which are able to provide a nutritious diet year-round. From these lists she and her husband, Kristof, have been able to establish and grow about 150 of these foods on their own property and incorporate them into their diet. They teach others about local foods, share seeds, and show people how they can care for their environment to improve nutrition.

Along with promoting local foods, they teach people how to plant them around their homes and gardens. This is done through a method of sustainable agriculture known as "Permaculture", which focuses on making the most out of the local resources and protects the environment. They are currently finalizing a training manual for the Peace Corps on 'Permaculture Nutrition' and are also working on developing a 'Guide to Local Foods in Malawi' so more people can be aware of the local food resources and learn how to use and identify them.

For more information on the work that Stacia and Kristof are doing in Malawi read their abstract on Permiculture when you click on AODA Conference 2001 or contact them at:

Stacia and Kristof Nordin
US Peace Corps, Box 208, Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa

Our IDN Star

Tina Papoutsakis, MS, RD is a Ph.D. candidate and Research and Teaching
Associate at Harokopio University in Athens, Greece, whose thesis is
entitled "Nutritional Status of Greek Adolescents: A Study of Parameters Affecting Homocysteine Levels". In a Mediterranean country, like Greece, where diet is undergoing significant changes toward a more Westernized eating pattern, the assessment of nutritional status in populations such as teens who are frequently vanguards of change is of great interest. Her interest in homocysteine as it relates to nutritional status stems from the emerging scientific data that homocysteine is possibly an independent CVD risk factor for which we know very little, especially in younger populations.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she completed a Clinical Dietetic Internship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Tina received a MS Degree from New York University, with her thesis entitled "Genetic Influences on the Intakes of Nutrients".

Tina is an excellent example of a Dietitian active in research and applied
Nutrition as she straddles both cultures in Greece and in the United States. In Greece, as a committee member for the Greek Ministry of Education, she assists in developing Nutrition curricula for high school students choosing a vocational direction in dietetics and for an associate-type degree for a Dietetic Technician specialty. In addition, at Harokopio University she serves as the coordinator internship program, which is part of the undergraduate degree in dietetics.

Tina returns to New York University in the summer where she is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies teaching Diet Assessment and Planning. In addition, she works as a Research Consultant with the American Health Foundation where she has developed a time-management computer model for the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS), a NCI funded multi-site breast cancer clinical trial. In light of Tina's multiple roles in international Dietetics, Tina surely deserves the IDN Star Award.

Tina Papoutsakis,MS RD: pastpresident&eatrightoverseas.org