ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Syracuse professor Sudha Raj receives top medallion honor
Originally aspiring to become a physician, she redirected her focus to dietetics due to an aversion to blood.
-
1759163132.png)
Anushka Pathak - Wed, 29, Oct 2025
- 16:41 EDT
- 29
Sudha Raj, professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at Syracuse University’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics / Courtesy: Syracuse University
Indian-American professor at Syracuse University, Sudha Raj, has received the 2025 Medallion Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The award, one of the Academy’s highest distinctions, honors her more than forty years of research, teaching, and professional service in the field of nutrition science.
Presented on Oct. 12 at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Nashville, the award recognizes Raj’s groundbreaking work on dietary acculturation among Asian Indian immigrants in the United States and her long-standing leadership within the Academy, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.
Also Read: Rushi Bhalani to receive Builders Award from Rice University
Raj serves as a professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in the university’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
“Sudha has an inquiring mind and has mentored thousands of students to carry that quest for inquiry but also cultivated a culture of integrity, purpose, and shared commitment to advancing the profession,” said Harlivleen Gill, the 2024–25 president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Associate professor Kay Stearns Bruening, who nominated Raj for the award, noted that she is the first faculty member from the department to earn this national honor since the early 1990s.
“Sudha has been thoughtful and deliberate to select areas of nutrition that are meaningful to her and that impact the population at large. I am inspired to follow her pursuit of advancing the profession,” Lynn Brann, also an associate professor in the department, said.
Reflecting on her achievement, Raj attributed her success to collaboration and institutional support. “In the nutrition department we have the best colleagues to work with,” she said, “and a lot of things happened here (at Syracuse) through the Academy’s initiatives because my colleagues saw value in it.”
Raj joined Syracuse University in 1981 after moving from India. Originally aspiring to become a physician, she redirected her focus to dietetics due to an aversion to blood. Inspired by her parents and a neighbor, she developed an academic and research career that bridges cultural perspectives on food and health.
The Medallion Award, selected by the Academy’s Board of Directors, recognizes individuals who have advanced the profession through sustained excellence in leadership, research, and education.
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login