The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an organization dedicated to improving health and advancing the profession of nutrition and dietetics through research, education, and advocacy, has recently announced the recipients of the 2025 Medallion Awards. The award honors scholars for their participation, leadership, and devotion to others in the field and allied health professions.
Of this year’s six recipients, three are women currently teaching at universities in the United States.
Mridul Datta is a clinical associate professor in the department of food science and human nutrition and director of the master of professional practice degree program in dietetics at Iowa State University. Before joining the Iowa State faculty in 2018, Dr. Datta was an assistant professor and director of the undergraduate dietetics program at Purdue University in Indiana. As a scholar, she has conducted extensive research in oncology and women’s health.
Dr. Datta holds a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from East Tennessee State University and a Ph.D. in human and clinical nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Sudha Raj is a teaching professor and director of the graduate program in the department of nutrition and food studies at Syracuse University in New York. A faculty member for over three decades, she is currently working to develop a new certificate program in integrative and functional nutrition. Her scholarly work centers on vegetarian nutrition, integrative and functional nutrition, and traditional food and medical systems. Specifically, she has conducted extensive research into the role of acculturative factors as they impact the health and well-being of Asian Indian immigrants.
Dr. Raj earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from Madras University in India and her master’s degree in food, nutrition, and dietetics from Bombay University in India. She received her second master’s degree and Ph.D. in nutrition science from Syracuse University.
Hollie Raynor is a professor in the department of nutrition and executive associate dean of research and operations for the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, where she has taught for nearly two decades. She also directs the Healthy Eating and Activity Laboratory and holds an adjunct appointment in the department of psychology. Drawing from the fields of nutrition and clinical psychology, her research focuses on identifying best methods to implement behavioral dietary factors that improve outcomes in obesity treatment and translating lifestyle intervention into practice-based settings.
Dr. Raynor received her bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition from San Diego State University, a master’s degree in public health nutrition from the University of Tennessee, and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo in New York.