Each year the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) has an annual conference to discuss the latest research and methodologies in the field of nutrition. With the NANP conference around the corner in May, it is time to acknowledge the recipients of the 2017 Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship. This scholarship originated after the passing of my dear friend Bonnie Fisk-Hayden in August of 2011 from autoimmune hepatitis. She was not only a dear friend, but we both shared the passion of nutrition. We met in 2004 at the first NANP conference and chatted voraciously all weekend.
We continued to share, encourage and support each other from then onwards. We would meet for walks, lunches and at conferences around the country, and spend hours on the phone discussing new books, new research and anything food and nutrition-related. She even gave me constructive feedback when I presented at a big Las Vegas conference and read my book The Antianxiety Food Solution cover to cover before publication, offering input and encouragement.
Bonnie was an amazingly passionate nutritionist who went back to nutrition school when she was in her 60s. She was very active in the NANP and served as a director on the board, headed up the Publications committee and helped design the conference program and other NANP materials (she was a very talented graphic artist too!) Bonnie once said, “joining the NANP as a student was one of the best things I did for my nutrition business.”
I decided to offer a student scholarship the following year. It felt like a really good thing to do to honor Bonnie’s influence and dedication to the NANP. In 2012 and 2013 one student scholarship was offered and this has now grown to 3 students being been awarded the Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship, thanks to two anonymous donors (who are appreciated).
The 2017 recipients of the scholarship are: Johanna Setta, Rajesh Shah, and Celeste Burrows. I know Bonnie is smiling and cheering them on!
Johanna Setta
Johanna is a student at Bauman College and will be graduating this year. As a Food Access Coordinator for a small community hospital, Johanna has played an integral role in Northwest Vermont food systems and primary food focused prevention. Health Care Without Harm has recently elected Johanna as the Healthy Food in Health Care Ambassador for the state of Vermont.
Helping folks take their health into their own hands through whole foods and mental health has been Johanna’s life mission. Johanna is “eager to attend the NANP conference to network with other like-minded individuals and glean any cutting edge knowledge and resources.”
Rajesh Shah
Rajesh believes Holistic Nutrition plays a vital role in the healing and treatment of chronic illness and disease. After having completed two B.S. degrees in Engineering and an MBA, Rajesh decided to follow his true calling and embark on an MS in Holistic Nutrition at ACHS. Rajesh states “I am driven not only by my passion for wellness and for deeper knowledge, but also by a desire to use my gifts to help people eat and live better.”
In 2009, Rajesh became a Registered Yoga Teacher and ever since has been teaching weekly yoga classes in his hometown of Louisville, KY. Through Rajesh’s yoga practice and through leading others, Rajesh has witnessed the positive effects on the mind and body. In late 2016, Rajesh also began performing Nutritional Counseling with a number of clients whose goals range from weight management to cancer prevention. Rajesh believes the student scholarship will be instrumental in helping to achieve his goal of inspiring people through mindful eating and healthy living.
Celeste Burrows
Celeste began following nutrition and alternative medicine back in the 1970’s and was inspired by the conferences (mostly NHF) she attended then. Celeste is now a student at Bauman College and will be graduating in 2018. Celeste has witnessed the health of her older friends and associates decline rapidly from preventable causes and their treatments and medications. This observation and her desire to gain credibility led to Celeste’s decision to return to school to pursue nutrition consulting as a profession.
Celeste is involved in the Village movement (supporting seniors who want to age in their own homes) and is an active member of Ashby Village. Celeste helped with the development of the Healthier Aging Initiative where she plans to provide a series of talks on Nutrition for Healthy Aging as well as consultations with individuals.
Celeste is eager to attend the NANP conference because “I expect it will provide a good immersion in the culture and practice of nutrition consulting, and a valuable three days spent with leaders in the field, fellow nutritional consultants, and vendors.”
I’d also love to acknowledge my dear friend Frances Holmes pictured above with Bonnie and I. She knew Bonnie well and was such a comfort to me after Bonnie’s passing and her work is so fitting for those who have suffered a loss. Frances is a Certified Nutrition Consultant who has combined her real life experiences of grief and loss with her nutritional knowledge to create a recipe for balancing the somatic aspects of grief with nutrition. Her training as an Integrative Grief Practitioner and in Yoga for Grief Relief provide additional tools for managing the body centered effects of grief.
With skillful communication Frances offers simple pragmatic tools to assist in choosing foods that nourish, ground and promote well-being. She specializes in helping the bereaved address the accompanying emotional mood swings related to loss of any kind. She is passionate about assisting her clients make the connection between what they eat and how they feel.
And thanks to Susan Yuen, MS, for helping me gather this information into a blog!
If you’d like to join the collaborative community of holistic nutrition professionals, students, educators, and organizations, gathered together to learn and share how we can positively impact today’s healthcare delivery system you can find details and registration information here. This is a practitioner-only event and runs May 4-7, 2017 in Portland, Oregon.
Congratulations to all of the recipients of the Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship! Enjoy the conference and wonderful opportunities that the NANP offers. I wish you well and look forward to hearing how you continue to have an impact in the nutrition world!
