Background

Adelia Bovell-Benjamin is a professor of food and nutritional sciences at Tuskegee University, Alabama. She has worked internationally and nationally—at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad; as a Public Health Nutritionist; as a Clinical Dietitian, a Food/Nutrition Consultant; and as a Visiting Professor across Africa. Her research focuses on product development (sensory science focus); complementary feeding and mycotoxins; and food/nutrition issues, cancer, diabetes, and obesity prevention in African Americans. 

IFT Highlights

Adelia has been an IFT member as a student and professional since 1994 and has been actively involved in the southeast section since 2000, serving on the Board of Directors thrice. She has coordinated the annual southeast IFT (SEIFT) product development competition. She has served on IFT’s Annual Scientific Program Advisory Panel (AMSPAP), as a Juror for the Emerging Leaders Network Award, on the Hot Topics Committee, and as a track team and abstract reviewer for annual meetings. She has received the IFT outstanding volunteer award more than once. Other honors include: Faculty of the Year Performance Award (highest university award), Tuskegee University; Outstanding Faculty Performance Award for Teaching, Tuskegee University; Russell Brown Award for Excellence in Research; winner, Diversity Leadership Challenge, (Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, Dietetic Practice Group, American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Association); Outstanding Faculty Performance Award in Research, Tuskegee University; United States Department of Agriculture Fellow; and the John E. Kinsella Prize for multidisciplinary, collaborative dissertation/excellence in academic performance (UC-Davis). 

Adelia serves as a reviewer and sits on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals. She has authored several peer-reviewed research and review papers, books, and book chapters. Adelia has mentored and supervised several undergraduate and graduate students. She has also served as the Chair and Organizing Committee member of successful international Food and Nutrition Conferences. 

Education

BS degrees in Nutritional Science and Food and Nutrition from Queens and Brooklyn Colleges of the City University of New York

MS in Nutritional Science and Food and Nutrition from Queens and Brooklyn Colleges of the City University of New York

PhD in Nutrition with a Designated Emphasis in International Nutrition from the University of California Davis

Postdoctoral certificates in Measuring Health Disparities, Leadership Development, Qualitative Research, and Diabetes Education.