Sarah Ruiz Honored for Early-Career Contributions to Health Education

Sarah Ruiz, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences at New Mexico State University, has received the 2025 M. Elaine Aud Horizon Award from the Society for Public Health Education. The award is presented to early-career health educators who have made outstanding contributions to the profession and health education practice.

Dr. Ruiz recently joined the faculty in the College of Agricultural, Environmental, and Consumer Sciences at New Mexico State University. She also concurrently teaches as an adjunct professor with the University of Texas at El Paso. In addition to her career in academia, she has a robust background as a registered dietitian and dietitian consultant. In 2019, she founded Sun City Dietitians, a private practice that provides medical nutrition therapy and diabetes education.

Dr. Ruiz received her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from New Mexico State University, a master of public health degree in nutrition from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary health studies from the University of Texas at El Paso.