University of Minnesota (UMN) School of Public Health (SPH) Professor Lisa Harnack, has been honored with the National Nutrient Databank Conference (NNDC) Recognition Award—the organization’s highest honor—for her dedication to advancing food composition databases and her longstanding contributions to the NNDC. Harnack, the interim head of SPH’s Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, has been a longtime national leader in public health nutrition. She received the award at NNDC’s conference held in Ottawa, Canada.

Harnack’s research has shaped nutrition policies and programs, including a groundbreaking study on calorie labeling in restaurants, which influenced regulations at the Food and Drug Administration and has been referenced in more than 30 domestic and international policy-related official reports and documents. Her recent work explores how limiting high-sugar food purchases could improve family nutrition within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). She also led the dietary intake assessment component of an influential CDC-commissioned study that identified key sources of sodium in the American diet.

As Director of the UMN Nutrition Coordinating Center, Harnack oversees the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) and the NCC Food and Nutrient Database—critical tools used in studies which involve dietary assessment. NDSR supports research at over 100 institutions, including most major research universities that conduct nutrition research and government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and NASA.

About the National Nutrient Databank Conference
The National Nutrient Databank Conference is held bi-annually to foster communication among nutrient database generators and users. NNDC committee members represent a diverse group of industry veterans, researchers, scientists, and other leaders in the field.