In the 16 years she has led the Didactic Program in Dietetics, Joan Fischer (MS '82, PhD '92) has seen it grow from 79 majors in 1995 to its current size of 162 undergraduates and 10 graduate students. During those years, she also completed two 10-year self-studies of the program and a five-year program assessment. The most recent self-study received exemplary ratings from the site-visit team of the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education.
According to her colleagues, Fischer doesn't just head the program but is intimately involved in every aspect. "She is a person of the highest integrity and is generous with her time and expertise, ensuring that our faculty work productively together to provide a quality educational experience for our students," says Mary Ann Johnson, the Bill and June Flatt Professor in Foods and Nutrition.
One of the key measures of a dietetics program's success is the pass rate on the national registration exam. For more than a decade now, 99.5 percent of FACS dietetics students have passed that exam. In addition to overseeing the Didactic Program in Dietetics, Fischer also finds the time to conduct research on nutrition for older adults as well as on the role of nutrients and plant-derived chemical non-nutrients, such as anthocyanins found in blueberries, for the prevention of cancer.
Perhaps most telling are the comments of students on the important role Fischer plays in their futures. "Dr. Fischer is a wonderful professor," says Beth O'Shea (BSFCS '09, MS '10). "She is an excellent resource for information, spends a lot of time organizing meetings for students in order to guide them through the extremely competitive internship application process, and helps them transition into the profession of dietetics. And she is a great asset not only to students but to the college as well."
Make your nominations for the
2012 Family and Consumer Sciences
Alumni Association awards online.
2012 Alumni Awards Nominations Due Oct. 1, 2012
Categories include:
• Pacesetter Award (alumni fewer
than 10 years out of school)
• Outstanding Service Award
• Emily Quinn Pou Professional Achievement Award
• Distinguished Alumni Award
• Creswell Award
• Friend of FACS
Help us recognize the outstanding contributions by the graduates of our college! Nominations are accepted online at ww.fcs.uga.edu/alumni/nomination_form.html.
