The
American Dietetic Association
(ADA) is the United States
' largest organization of food
and nutrition professionals, with nearly
67,000 members. Approximately 75 % of ADA's members are
registered dietitians and about 4 % are
dietetic technicians, registered. The remainder of ADA's members
include researchers, educators, students, clinical and community
dietetics professionals, consultants and food service
managers.
ADA was
founded in 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio
, by a group of women led by Lenna F. Cooper and ADA's first president,
Lulu C. Graves,
who were dedicated to helping the government conserve food and
improve
public health during
World War I.
It is now headquartered in Chicago,
Illinois
.
ADA's mission is "leading the future of dietetics". Its vision is
that ADA members are the most valued source of food and nutrition
services.
Certification
Registered Dietitian (RD)
Requirements include the following items:
- Minimum Bachelor's degree
with coursework approved by ADA's accreditation on dietitics
education. This coursework included food
science, nutrition, computer
science, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, sociology,
business management, and
physiology.
- Completion of an accredited, supervised, and apprenticed
program at a health care facility,
community agency, or food service organization.
- Pass a Commission on Dietetic Registration-administered
national examination.
- Maintain registration by completing continuing professional
educational requirements.
Approximately 75 percent of all ADA members are RD's. An additional
4 percent of ADA membership are Dietetic Technician, Registered
(DTR). About half of the ADA membership hold advanced academic
degrees (
Master's or
Doctorate).
Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR)
DTRs work with RDs and undergo similar training though the
education requirement is a minimum of an
Associate's degree.
Professional educational programs
ADA's Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) is
recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the
United States Department of Education as the accrediting agency for
education programs that prepare dietetics professionals. CADE
accredits and approves more than 600 undergraduate and graduate
didactic, dietetic technician and supervised practice
programs.
ADA Foundation
The American Dietetic Association Foundation (ADAF) was established
in 1966 as a 501(C)(3) public charity. Its mission is to fund the
future of the dietetics profession through research and education.
The Foundation's vision is to be a leader in promoting and
achieving healthy weight for children, helping to reduce the
growing prevalence of childhood obesity. ADAF achieves its goals by
providing support for research, education and public awareness
programs. For the 2006-2007 academic year, ADAF has invested in the
future of the dietetics profession by awarding approximately
$270,000 for more than 200 graduate, undergraduate and continuing
education scholarships.
ADA concerns
ADA publishes position papers on public health regarding
pediatric (
children's)
health,
food technology,
food safety,
geriatrics (
elderly)
health,
health-care reform,
obesity and the full range of food and
nutrition topics. The association also sponsors National Nutrition
Month in March in the U.S.
To help better communications with the US
government, ADA has offices in Washington, DC
.
Additional publications
The
Journal
of the American Dietetic Association (JADA) is a
monthly
peer-reviewed publication
involved in the
dietetics field, with
original research, critical reviews, and reports on dietetics and
human nutrition.
External links
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