American College of Nutrition
Encyclopedia
The American College of Nutrition (ACN) is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization
established to encourage the scientific investigation of nutrition
and metabolism
. The ACN publishes the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and hosts scientific conferences in the US and in Europe.
from all disciplines with a common interest in nutrition and to promote the application of such knowledge to the maintenance of health
and treatment
of disease
.
The ACN's goals are to:
and academicians
, students, and international nutrition professionals
. Categories of membership include Fellow (FACN), Master (MACN), Member, Student/Trainee, Emeritus, and Honorary.
There are two credentials granted to ACN members who have met certain criteria:
The JACN is abstracted or indexed in Current Contents
, Index Medicus
, MEDLINE
, Science Citation Index
, SciSearch, Research Alert, Chemical Abstracts
, CAB International
and BIOSIS
.
. Highly visible figures in the field of nutrition such as Dean Ornish
, MD, Michael Holick
, MD, PhD, FACN, Gerald Reaven
, MD, Leo Galland, MD, FACN and many others will speak on topics from metabolic syndrome
to vitamin D
and how they intersect.
to the food industry
.
The Editor in Chief of the JACN subsequently published a letter in the Journal noting the ambiguity in the conflict of interest disclosure process then in place and a new documentation procedure was put in place to remedy this.
"The American College of Nutrition accepts no funding from for-profit corporations. This policy fosters our mission and our ability to advance unbiased science without compromise."
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
established to encourage the scientific investigation of nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
and metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
. The ACN publishes the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and hosts scientific conferences in the US and in Europe.
History and Mission
The American College of Nutrition was founded in 1959 with the mission to enhance nutrition and metabolism knowledge among physicians and professionalsNutritionist
A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
from all disciplines with a common interest in nutrition and to promote the application of such knowledge to the maintenance of health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and treatment
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
of disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
.
The ACN's goals are to:
- Provide an organizationOrganizationAn organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
which encompasses the needs of physicians and professionals from all disciplines with a common interest in nutrition. - Provide a forum for interchange of views, professional and educational experiences, and research results in the general field of nutrition.
- Encourage the incorporation of a strong, clearly-defined nutrition teaching module in the curriculumCurriculumSee also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
of all medical schoolsMedical schoolA medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, and to promote the inclusion of nutritional education in medical postgraduate training. - Promote educational programs at all levels, and provide advocacy support for non-M.D. nutrition professionalsNutritionistA nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
.
Structure
The ACN is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors. Committees are charged by the board with the responsibilities for the various operations of the ACN and report to the Board of Directors.Board of Directors (2011)
- Harry G. Preuss, MD, MACN, CNS - PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
- Beverly B. Teter, PhD, FACN, CNS - Vice PresidentVice presidentA vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
- Manashi Bagchi, PhD, FACN
- Corinne Bush, MS, CNS
- George J. Brewer, MD, MACN
- Mary G. Enig, PhD, MACN, CNS
- Amalia Gastaldelli, PhD
- Nicholas V. Perricone, MD, FACN
- Ananda Prasad, MD, PhD, MACN
- Dana Reed, MS, CNS
- Michael M. Rothkopf, MD, FACN, FACP
- Michael S. Stroka, JD, MBA, MS, CNS
Committees
- Executive Committee
- Membership Committee
- Programs Committee
- Continuing Medical Education (CME) Committee
- Nominating Committee
- Development Committee
- Publications Committee
- Communications Committee
European Chapter
The European chapter of the American College of Nutrition was established in 2001 to promote scientific endeavors in the field of nutritional sciences. It works to foster a continuous, bidirectional flow of scientific knowledge and experience in the field of nutrition and metabolism between the United States and Europe. The European chapter has hosted eight scientific conferences since 2001.Membership
Members of the American College of Nutrition are clinicians, researchersResearcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
and academicians
Academician
The title Academician denotes a Full Member of an art, literary, or scientific academy.In many countries, it is an honorary title. There also exists a lower-rank title, variously translated Corresponding Member or Associate Member, .-Eastern Europe and China:"Academician" may also be a functional...
, students, and international nutrition professionals
Nutritionist
A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
. Categories of membership include Fellow (FACN), Master (MACN), Member, Student/Trainee, Emeritus, and Honorary.
There are two credentials granted to ACN members who have met certain criteria:
Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN)
Minimum Requirements for Fellows of the ACN:- Shall hold a doctoral degree from an institution recognized by an accrediting board authorized by the US Department of Education, or from a foreign institution with equivalent standards.
- Shall have demonstrated expertise in patient care, research, and/or teaching of nutrition as evidenced by one or more of the following:
- Certification by one or more ACGMEAccreditation Council for Graduate Medical EducationThe Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is the body responsible for the accreditation for graduate medical training programs for medical doctors in the United States. It is a non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs...
recognized specialty boards - Board certification by the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists
- Outstanding experience in nutrition as a practitioner and/or educator, documented by appropriate letters of recommendations
- Certification by one or more ACGME
- Shall have co-authored five or more publications in peer reviewed medical or scientific journals relevant to nutrition with lead authorship on at least one paper.
Master of the American College of Nutrition (MACN)
This category is reserved for Members/Fellows who have demonstrated, over an extended period, outstanding service to the ACN and/or have been recognized nationally or internationally for outstanding contribution in the field of nutrition.Publications
The Journal of the American College of Nutrition is a peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly (every two months) by the ACN. The JACN includes:- Original and innovative research in nutrition with useful application for researchers, physicians, and other health care professionals
- Critical reviews on pertinent nutrition topics that highlight key teaching points and relevance to nutrition
- Letters to the editors and commentaries on important issues in the field of nutrition
- Abstract clusters on nutritional topics with editorial comments
- Book reviews
- Abstracts from the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition in the October issue
The JACN is abstracted or indexed in Current Contents
Current Contents
Current Contents is a rapid alerting service database from the Institute for Scientific Information, now part of Thomson Reuters, that is published online and in several different printed subject sections.-History:...
, Index Medicus
Index medicus
Index Medicus is a comprehensive index of medical scientific journal articles, published since 1879. It was initiated by John Shaw Billings, head of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, United States Army...
, MEDLINE
MEDLINE
MEDLINE is a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information. It includes bibliographic information for articles from academic journals covering medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and health care...
, Science Citation Index
Science Citation Index
The Science Citation Index is a citation index originally produced by the Institute for Scientific Information and created by Eugene Garfield in 1960, which is now owned by Thomson Reuters. The larger version covers more than 6,500 notable and significant journals, across 150 disciplines, from ...
, SciSearch, Research Alert, Chemical Abstracts
Chemical Abstracts Service
Chemical Abstracts is a periodical index that provides summaries and indexes of disclosures in recently published scientific documents. Approximately 8,000 journals, technical reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, and new books, in any of 50 languages, are monitored yearly, as are patent...
, CAB International
CAB International
CAB International is a not-for-profit inter-governmental organisation based in the United Kingdom....
and BIOSIS
BIOSIS Previews
BIOSIS Previews is an English-language, bibliographic database service, with abstracts and citation indexing. It is part of Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge suite. Content that was originally integrated from the BIOSIS company before the merger in 2004 is now part of the Web of Knowledge...
.
Annual Nutrition Science Conferences
The ACN has held 51 Annual Scientific Conferences prior to 2011. The 2011 Conference, "Emergence of Nutrition as Core Medicine", is being held from November 16-19 at the Malcolm Forbes Conference Center of Morristown Medical Center of Morristown, NJMorristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
. Highly visible figures in the field of nutrition such as Dean Ornish
Dean Ornish
Dean Michael Ornish, M.D., is president and founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, as well as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco....
, MD, Michael Holick
Michael Holick
Michael Holick is an American dermatologist, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University who is known for recommending exposure to sunlight 2 to 3 times per week for photosynthesis of Vitamin D. He was asked to resign from his position in dermatology at Boston...
, MD, PhD, FACN, Gerald Reaven
Gerald Reaven
Gerald M. "Jerry" Reaven is an American endocrinologist and professor emeritus in medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California, United States.Reaven's work on insulin resistance and diabetes with John W...
, MD, Leo Galland, MD, FACN and many others will speak on topics from metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that, when occurring together, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects one in five people in the United States and prevalence increases with age...
to vitamin D
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique both because it functions as a prohormone and because the body can synthesize it when sun exposure is adequate ....
and how they intersect.
Controversy
According to the Integrity in Science project, the ACN sponsored Journal of the American College of Nutrition failed to disclose the ties of the editor and authors of their June 2006 supplement on sodiumSodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
to the food industry
Food industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
.
The Editor in Chief of the JACN subsequently published a letter in the Journal noting the ambiguity in the conflict of interest disclosure process then in place and a new documentation procedure was put in place to remedy this.
Policy of Not Accepting Corporate Funding
In the past, the ACN accepted funding from for-profit corporations. In 2011, the ACN adopted a policy that they shall no longer accept corporate funding:"The American College of Nutrition accepts no funding from for-profit corporations. This policy fosters our mission and our ability to advance unbiased science without compromise."