Dr. Miriam Chaiken, a professor in the IUP department of anthropology, and professor at the Robert E Cook Honors College, was selected as the recipient of the 2007 Nutritional Anthropologist of the Year award by the Society for Anthropology of Food and Nutrition.

How can we live in a world where one third of the population has much too little to eat, and another third suffers from an excess of food?

These and other related issues inspired an Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor to focus her attention on nutritional anthropology, and she has been honored for this work by a national award.

The organization gives only one award of this type per year.

"Considering that there are hundreds of practicing nutritional anthropologists, this award is very prestigious," said Dr. Janet Chrzan, a member of the Society. This award is the only one of its kind offered to anthropologists who focus study and teaching in the area of food and nutrition.

"Dr. Chaiken has made many significant contributions to nutritional anthropology and is very well known for her good citizenship as an academic," said Chrzan. "She also has performed in an exemplary fashion in various boards and commissions. Her work in Africa, both research and contract, is respected throughout the academy for the quality of her scholarship and professionalism."

Chaiken is served as president of the Society and has been a professor at IUP for 20 years.

The Society for Anthropology of Food and Nutrition started in 1974 in response to increased interest between social sciences and human nutrition and instituted this award four years ago.

Chaiken believes addressing global inequities in food access is an important issue for our era, and points out the importance of having anthropologists involved in this discussion.

"Anthropologists have unique perspectives that bridge the gap between macro and micro-level perspectives because we understand better than others the cultural contexts of food production, allocation and use," Dr. Chaiken said. "We need to be engaged in this process."

Chaiken's dissertation work took her to the Philippines, where she examined nutritional status of children. She later developed a project with the UNICEF Kenya, aiming at improving child survival and nutritional status in an area characterized by chronic under-nutrition.

Original article published on October 12, 2007 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania News Website http://www.iup.edu/news/releases/2007/10-12-chaiken-award.htm