Baylor Nutrition Sciences Professor Honored with Distinguished Service Award from AAFCS

July 16, 2019
janelle walter

' Janelle Walter, Ph.D., professor of nutrition sciences in Baylor University's Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences and director of the didactic program in dietetics, was honored with a 2019 Distinguished Service Award by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). Photo courtesy of Baylor Photography.

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by Brooke Hill, student newswriter, Baylor University Media & Public Relations

WACO, Texas (July 16, 2019) — Janelle Walter, Ph.D., professor of nutrition sciences in Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences and director of the didactic program in dietetics, was honored with a 2019 Distinguished Service Award by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS).

“This award is special to me because it is the highest recognition given by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, a professional organization I have been affiliated with for 40 years,” Walter said. “It is special because three of my peers at Baylor nominated me for this award and because it brings recognition to Baylor’s department of family and consumer sciences.”

Walter has served as president, counselor, treasurer and vice president of membership for the AAFCS Texas Affiliate. Walter’s service has been recognized previously when she received the AAFCS National Leader Award and the Kappa Omicron Nu Advisor Award of Excellence, and more recently when she was named Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the 2017 Texas Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Professional of the Year.

Walter’s interest in childhood obesity and working with professionals in the area of child development and family studies recently led to research about forces within and outside the family unit that influence decisions about food intake for families. Walter has been a faculty member in Baylor’s department of family and consumer sciences since 1979.

“Dr. Walter is a champion of the family and consumer sciences mission and vision in all that she does as a professor at Baylor University,” said Rinn Cloud, Ph.D., professor and chair of family and consumer sciences at Baylor. “She encourages students to apply their knowledge to advance best practices in food and nutrition for improved health.”

The Distinguished Service Award was established by the American Home Economics Association (AHEA) Foundation in 1979 as a living tribute to members of AHEA (now AAFCS) to recognize superior achievements in family and consumer sciences, outstanding contributions to the family and consumer sciences profession, and sustained association leadership at state and national levels.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences at Baylor University was established in 2014, a result of identified priorities for strengthening the health sciences through Baylor’s strategic vision, Pro Futuris, and the University’s Illuminate academic strategic plan. The anchor academic units that form Robbins College – Communication Sciences and Disorders; Family and Consumer Sciences; Health, Human Performance and Recreation; Public Health; and Division of Health Professions – share a common purpose: improving health and the quality of life. The College’s curricula promotes a team-based approach to transformational education and research that has established interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance solutions for improving quality of life for individuals, families and communities. For more information, visit www.baylor.edu/chhs.