Ford honored by dietitians association

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Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (DIFM), a practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, based in Chicago, Illinois, has announced that Deborah Ford of Van Wert is the recipient of the 2015 Excellence in Service Award.

Ford is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Clinical Nutrition, became a traditional naturopath from the California College of Natural Medicine in 2014, and is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at the Maryland University of Integrative Medicine.

She also holds a Master of Science degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and has several credentials in fitness.

Ford’s service to DIFM began at the inception of the group, in the late 1990s.  She has served in several elected and appointed positions, serving as chair of the national group in 2010-2011. A key contribution was serving as co-chair of the committee for writing the Standards of Practice/Standards of Professional Performance for Dietitians who practice integrative nutrition. This extensive document met the standards for approval by the academy and was published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in July 2011.

She has been a writer, contributor and reviewer of several professional publications and also helped coordinate three national presentations at the Academy’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition in 2010. Ford’s tireless efforts have helped propel the practice of integrative nutrition into mainstream nutrition practice across the country. Her leadership over the years to the profession and the practice group has been exemplary.

Ford has owned Good Earth Health and Nutrition in Van Wert since 1976, and is also co-owner of First Family Broadcasting. She has a private nutrition practice to help clients incorporate nutritional science with the traditional wisdom of ancient cultures, using individualized recommendations for the prevention and management of acute and chronic conditions.

Her unique approach reflects her passion for natural, holistic, and integrative nutrition. Her mantra of “think global and act local” is carried out in her daily life. She has enhanced many lives in her own area, but her service to DIFM has expanded her reach to national levels, having an impact that will be felt in the profession in perpetuity.

Ford will be recognized at DIFM’s annual meeting at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition in the fall in Nashville, Tennessee.