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American Society for Nutritional Sciences, Nashville, TN 37221
1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pbswan{at}bellsouth.net
In September 1928 five nutrition scientists, incorporating as an educational organization in the state of New York, founded the American Institute of Nutrition (AIN). They invited six other scientists to join them in forming an editorial board for The Journal of Nutrition. The first issue of The Journal was published that month. In the year 2003 the American Society for Nutritional Sciences (ASNS), the successor to the AIN, is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
The first name of the society was retained by the AIN until 1996, when it became the ASNS. Originally the purpose of the society was simply to publish The Journal of Nutrition, but at the urging of several of their colleagues the corporate members voted to enlarge the membership of the society and to sponsor an annual scientific meeting. In April 1933 they held an organizational meeting with 70 persons in attendance and, with Henry Sherman of Columbia University presiding, 172 individuals were declared charter members of the enlarged society. The qualifications for membership paralleled those of the American Physiological Society and the American Society of Biological Chemists. Of the charter members, 112 were already members of one of those societies (1 ).
The first scientific meeting was held in New York City at the Cornell Medical School in March 1934, a time and location that coincided with the annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). In 1941 the FASEB Board voted to accept the AIN as the fifth member society of that association. Meetings were not held during 1943–1945 because of wartime considerations; therefore, the 50th annual meeting of the society occurred in 1987 instead of 1984.
In 1958 the society celebrated the 25th anniversary of the organizational meeting with a special symposium (2 ) and an anniversary dinner sponsored in part by the Wistar Institute and the Williams-Waterman Fund. At the 1978 annual meeting the society celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding with a symposium commemorating the founding of The Journal (3 ). For that anniversary Harold Williams prepared a 50-y history of the society, which was subsequently published by the AIN with support from the National Dairy Council (1 ). Although it is no longer in print, A History of the First 50 Years: 1928–1978 by Harold H. Williams may be accessed later this year at the website www.nutrition.org.
The present article is intended as a brief update of the society’s history from its 50th to its 75th year, including a description of organizational changes, changes in the annual meeting, some of its activities and cooperation with other societies, its journal and newsletter and its sense of future directions.
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An overview (1979–2003) |
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 TOP An overview (1979-2003) New nameOrganizational changesMembershipAnnual meetingsFellowshipsLeadershipPublicationsRelationshipsPublic affairsFinancesOther activitiesLooking to the futureLITERATURE CITED |
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New name |
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TOPAn overview (1979-2003)New nameOrganizational changesMembershipAnnual meetingsFellowshipsLeadershipPublicationsRelationshipsPublic affairsFinancesOther activitiesLooking to the futureLITERATURE CITED |
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After the AIN enlarged the membership and become a society that also sponsored annual scientific meetings, the possibility of changing the name was briefly discussed from time to time, and during the 1980s there was some concern expressed over the problems that the name presented. The issue did not receive concerted attention from the society’s leadership, however, until 1990. By that time the changes in the nature of the biological sciences, brought about by the molecular biology revolution, and the great diversification of programs that carried the term "nutrition" in their name had begun to call into question the use of the term "nutrition" in the society’s name. Moreover, the term "institute" had always been somewhat misleading because many of those outside the society assumed that the AIN was indeed an educational institution with formal education programs, including a staff of educators.
In 1990 Conrad Wagner of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center wrote a letter published in the AIN newsletter, suggesting that the term "molecular biology" might be added to the society’s name. The society’s president, Vernon Young of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, took up the challenge, writing in the next issue of the newsletter in favor of a name change to better describe the expertise of the society’s membership and suggesting that it might become the American Institute of Nutritional Biology. The AIN Council established a committee to consider a name change and members began to examine both sides of the issue. The value of continuity and the widespread recognition of the existing name were argued by those who opposed a name change. The Council did not take a position and when the question was put to the membership in the form of a vote, it seemed that most members did not understand that there was a compelling reason to change.
The Council and its leaders continued to discuss the possibility of a name change and those who favored change began to present their perspective more systematically. The Council eventually decided to support changing the name to "American Society for Nutritional Sciences." Describing the advantages for more clearly delineating the nature of the society through its name, and recommending the name they supported, the Council sent a new ballot to the membership in December 1995. Receiving a favorable vote, the Council officially adopted the new name in the spring of 1996.
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Organizational changes |
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TOPAn overview (1979-2003)New nameOrganizational changesMembershipAnnual meetingsFellowshipsLeadershipPublicationsRelationshipsPublic affairsFinancesOther activitiesLooking to the futureLITERATURE CITED |
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The earliest organizational change within the past quarter century, and perhaps the most influential one, was that of providing for a full-time executive officer for the society. In 1965 James Waddell had been appointed to a half-time position as the first Executive Secretary and he had served until June 1971. During Waddell’s tenure O. L. Kline had been appointed to a half-time position as Director of the Office of Nutrition Science Services of the AIN and when Waddell retired Kline became the full-time Executive Secretary, serving both positions until September 1976. W. A. Gortner succeeded Kline as the AIN Executive Officer and served until September 1978. During Kline’s and Gortner’s tenures, the executive officer had served both the ASNS and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition (ASCN), but in 1978 the ASCN decided to employ a separate executive officer. For this position they hired Gilda Knight, who had previously served as the secretary to the AIN Executive Officer.
In response to the ASCN's hiring a separate executive officer, the initial decision of the AIN Council was to hire a half-time Executive Officer. In the summer of 1978 Jack Bieri served in an interim position. Max Milner served as the AIN's half-time Executive Officer from September 1978 until July 1984. Later, the Council agreed to join with the ASCN in hiring a scientific officer in addition to the executive officers. In July 1984 Richard G. Allison became the half-time Executive Officer for AIN and the half-time Scientific Officer for both AIN and ASCN. In 1986 the AIN Council decided to employ a full-time Executive Officer and Allison accepted the position of Executive Officer and Science Officer.
In contrast to the early years of change in the secretariat, Richard Allison’s continuous service to the present has brought stability to the office and greatly increased its effectiveness. He has built an experienced and highly competent staff that supports the work of the many committees and the recently formed subunits within the society. Long-term staff members such as Anne Meyers and Karen King have been instrumental in the effectiveness of this office. With the support of such an office, the society has been able to successfully navigate major changes in its structure and its annual meetings, as well as to carry out a more active public affairs program. In addition, the office has provided support for improvements in the newsletter and The Journal of Nutrition.
Research Interest Sections.
Discussions among members in the early 1990s about changing the society’s name revealed diverse views about the nature and direction of nutrition science. The greatest difference was between those who favored narrowing the focus of the society to include only one aspect of nutrition science, such as nutritional genomics or metabolism, and those who favored broadening the society to include nutritionists who were not primarily experimentalists, such as anthropologists or educators. As a result of these discussions the Council approved changes in organizational structure to provide focus on specialized areas of nutritional science while at the same time allowing ASNS to serve as an integrating society for all these areas.
To accommodate the diverse interests of society members in the face of the increasing specialization within the nutritional sciences, and to provide a way for each of those interests to find a home within the society, Research Interest Sections (RIS) were formed. Their purpose was discussed in the society newsletter by president Vernon Young in December 1990 when he conveyed the decision of the Council to agree in principle to their formation. The Council charged a working group with developing a structure for RIS and delineating their position within the AIN, and in 1993 the plan was implemented with nine suggested sections. Interested individuals served as founding members for each section and AIN members indicated their interest in belonging to one or more section. Each section elected officers and organized activities. Each RIS appoints a member to the planning committee for the annual meeting and most have sponsored symposia at the annual meeting and some have fostered mini-symposia as well. As the sections began to develop, the society’s constitution was changed to name the RIS director who serves to coordinate their activities and to represent their interests on the Council. In 2003 there are 14 RIS, including one that is for student members and encompasses their various research interests. This section develops program and special activities at the annual meeting for student members. The RIS approved by the Council as of fall 2002 are listed in Table 1 .
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Annual meetings |
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The use of posters, rather than short oral reports, to communicate research results began in 1975 and has become a major feature of the annual meetings during the past 25 y. Beginning in 1986 mini-symposia, featuring a longer talk followed by several shorter related talks, have also become a mode of communication in the nutrition sessions at the annual meetings. Full symposia have taken on a more important role and the RIS are encouraged to work through the annual meeting program committee to organize symposia focused on some aspect of their specific research interests. Recently, a major society-wide lecture is being introduced as a format to bring members together. In the EB 2002 meeting, ASNS programmed 1120 abstracts for presentation in 48 mini-symposia, 65 poster sessions and four special sessions. In addition to the society-wide lecture, there were 17 symposia, two workshops and two conferences programmed as well. The size of this program was more than double that in 1978, when 571 abstracts were programmed into 32 slide and 20 poster sessions.
An experimental animal nutrition workshop is a regular feature of the meeting and the annual history symposium has also been programmed as a workshop at some meetings. Special workshops, forums and other sessions are now regular features of the annual meeting. A special session on public affairs, initially programmed as a tentative trial in the early 1980s, proved to be successful and has been continued. Sessions on timely and controversial topics are also popular.
Graduate student competitions.
One of the most popular additions to the ASNS annual meeting has been the annual competition for the best research presentations by graduate students. Initiated by the Council in 1977, the competition is sponsored by the Procter & Gamble Company and is conducted in two stages. First, the students submit an abstract of their intended presentation. A committee selects 12 of these as semifinalists for the oral competition and gives them travel awards to the meeting. The semifinalists compete in a single session, judged by anonymous ASNS members, and three finalists are selected for an additional monetary award. Earl H. Harrison, Ann M. Reisenauer and Mark P. Richards were the finalists in the 1st y.
Awards.
Each year, beginning with the 1939 annual meeting, selected members have been recognized for their scientific and professional accomplishments by the bestowing of special awards. Traditionally, these awards were given at a banquet held in the evening and were accompanied by congratulatory and "thank-you" speeches. During the past several years, however, the awards have been given at a well-attended awards ceremony and speeches have been minimized. This change was encouraged by meeting attendees who did not want to subscribe to a banquet and who reflected the modern trend of preferring short, rather than long speeches. The change was also brought about as the result of the increasing number of awards to be given.
The first research award, supported by the Mead Johnson Company, was accepted by the Council in 1939 and was designated for meritorious research on the vitamin B complex. It was given in that year to Conrad A. Elvehjem of the University of Wisconsin. From 1953 through 1963 the award was not given, but in 1964 the company resumed support of the award, broadening its scope and designating it for a younger investigator. During the war, despite the lack of an annual meeting, the society accepted an award from the Borden Company for research emphasizing the nutritional value of any food or food component. The first recipient of this award, given in 1944, was Elmer V. McCollum of Johns Hopkins University.
In 1949 the Nutrition Foundation began to support the Osborne and Mendel award for basic research accomplishments in the science of nutrition, and the first recipient was William C. Rose of the University of Illinois. In 1966 a new award, supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and named for the society’s first award winner, was accepted by the society. The first winner of the Conrad A. Elvehjem Award for Public Service in Nutrition was Charles Glen King. These four awards were the ones given in 1978 at the 50th anniversary of the society.
During the past quarter century four new ASNS awards have been added, a fifth will be added in 2003 and one has been discontinued. After 50 y of continuous sponsorship by the Borden Foundation, the Borden Award was last given in 1996. (It was not awarded in 1995, but the AIN sponsored a similar award for that one year.) The Lederle Award for research in human nutrition, sponsored by Lederle Laboratories, was initiated in 1981, with Jack W. Coburn of the University of California-Los Angeles receiving the award that year. In 1999 this award was renamed the Centrum Center for Nutrition Science Award following changes in the company’s organization. Also in 1981, the Bio-Serv award for research in experimental animal nutrition, sponsored by the Bio-Serv Company, was given for the first time, with Pamela J. Fraker of Michigan State University as the recipient. The Milton O. Sunde Award for the year’s best avian research paper in The Journal of Nutrition was first awarded in 1999 to Kirk Klasing. The Dannon Institute is sponsoring a new award for mentorship of young nutrition science investigators. It was given for the first time in 2002 and Dale Romsos of Michigan State University was the recipient (Table 2 ). Finally, a newly endowed award in honor of Peter Reeds will be awarded for the first time at EB 2003.
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Special functions.
In addition to the scientific sessions, several special functions have also become regular features of the annual meeting during the past 25 y. In 1985 and 1986 the Nutrition Subcommittee of the Experiment Station Committee on Policy initiated a breakfast for department heads. This has been continued in subsequent years by the society and is sponsored by the Kellogg Company. Recently, a breakfast for student members, sponsored by the National Dairy Council, was added to the annual meeting events by the Student RIS. The tradition of holding a Council meeting during the annual meeting continues and many of the committees also meet during this time. Typically, The Journal editors and editorial board and the newly organized RIS also meet during this time. Other popular events include the members’ and university alumni mixer and the student "meet the expert" reception. A society business meeting is traditionally held at the annual meeting where members can raise issues and can vote on matters that require action by the members such as changes in the constitution.
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Fellowships |
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TOPAn overview (1979-2003)New nameOrganizational changesMembershipAnnual meetingsFellowshipsLeadershipPublicationsRelationshipsPublic affairsFinancesOther activitiesLooking to the futureLITERATURE CITED |
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Leadership |
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TOPAn overview (1979-2003)New nameOrganizational changesMembershipAnnual meetingsFellowshipsLeadershipPublicationsRelationshipsPublic affairsFinancesOther activitiesLooking to the futureLITERATURE CITED |
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Publications |
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TOPAn overview (1979-2003)New nameOrganizational changesMembershipAnnual meetingsFellowshipsLeadershipPublicationsRelationshipsPublic affairsFinancesOther activitiesLooking to the futureLITERATURE CITED |
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The Journal of Nutrition.
The society’s original publication was The Journal of Nutrition, first published in September 1928 by Charles C. Thomas of Springfield, IL. The managing editor was John R. Murlin of the University of Rochester and the first editorial board consisted of the AIN corporate members plus six others whom they selected to join them on the board (Table 5 ). The Journal was the original reason for the formation of the society and it continued to be its sole function for the first 5 y. After the purpose of the society was enlarged to include holding an annual scientific meeting, ownership of The Journal was assigned to The Wistar Institute, although the editorial function remained with the society. In 1968 the AIN purchased ownership from The Wistar Institute and began contracting for redactory and printing services.
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The growth in the size and quality of The Journal can be credited to the active attention of many members of the society. Through the years, The Journal of Nutrition has had nine editors (Table 6 ). In 1928 there was a managing editor and 10 other members of the editorial board. At the 50th anniversary in 1978 there were an editor, two associate editors and a biographical editor, in addition to 26 members of the editorial board. At its 75th anniversary, the editorial staff has grown to include an editor, an assistant editor, seven associate editors, three regional correspondents, a biographical editor, a historical editor and 44 members of the editorial board. In addition, the Publications Management Committee has taken an active role in oversight of the business affairs of The Journal.
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In 1990 under the leadership of Willard Visek, six associate editors were appointed to represent different areas of research and were given more responsibility for ensuring both quantity and quality of articles in their specialized areas. In recognition of an increasing number of submissions from outside the United States, three regional correspondents were appointed during this time. Presently, the categories into which original research articles are placed reflect the RIS and the directions that the editor and his advisors believe the science of nutrition is taking. The present editor, John Suttie of the University of Wisconsin, is shortening the time between manuscript submission and publication through several innovations. As of 2002 manuscripts are submitted on a web site and subsequent work on them is done primarily through electronic communication. In 1998 The Journal went online and is accessible in that form to all members. Members may also elect to subscribe to the print form. The Journal has earned the ranking of the premier journal of its type in the world.
Nutrition Notes.
One of the ways in which the society has fostered cohesiveness and better communication among its members is through its quarterly newsletter "Nutrition Notes" (Notes). The Notes began in March 1965 with Mattie Rae Spivey Fox and William Boehne as the first editor and associate editor, respectively. To date the newsletter has had 10 editors (Table 7 ). Increasingly it has provided a way to shape the direction of the society and to inform the members about public policy issues. It has fostered discussion among the members about such issues as the society’s name and the direction of nutrition science. The ASCN, SINR, the RIS and working committees also use the Notes for communication about their activities. Not the least, items of interest to the members are the notes about members’ activities that are submitted by the regional editors. From time to time there has been a move to increase the number of issues per year. Originally, there were two issues per year, but in 1970 the Notes became a quarterly. Some attempts were made in the 1980s and again in the 1990s to increase the newsletter to six issues per year, but logistical and timing problems in getting content from members and publishing > four issues a year has precluded such a move to date. The number of pages per issue, however, has increased. In March 1996 Carolyn Berdanier introduced color in the Notes to aid in organization and general appearance. In June 1996, as Dennis Gordon began his term as editor, the Notes were switched to a "shiny" paper. Neil Shay, the current editor, is again stressing the importance of communication through the Notes and is urging that members write letters to the editor.
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TOPAn overview (1979-2003)New nameOrganizational changesMembershipAnnual meetingsFellowshipsLeadershipPublicationsRelationshipsPublic affairsFinancesOther activitiesLooking to the futureLITERATURE CITED |
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FASEB.
The first scientific meeting held by the AIN was in conjunction with the annual FASEB meeting in 1934. This was convenient because a majority of the AIN members were also members of a FASEB society. Although the biochemists initially opposed the AIN application for acceptance as a FASEB society, it was finally approved by the FASEB Board in 1940. When Murlin wrote about these events many years later, he suggested that the original reluctance over AIN inclusion as a FASEB member society was attributed to the fear that "too many women were going to be let into the sacred circle." Nonetheless, it was the biochemists’ representative on the FASEB Council who finally made the successful motion to include the AIN (5 ). Late in 1954 FASEB purchased the land and a house from the Hawley estate, which had been acquired earlier by the American Physiological Society. This provided a campus site for housing the offices of the member societies and for eventual expansion of office facilities. Originally the AIN was housed in the Hawley mansion, renamed Beaumont House. In 1986 AIN and ASCN offices were moved to the new addition on the Milton O. Lee Building on the FASEB campus.
The Federation celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1987 (6 ), but some tensions began to develop in the relationship between FASEB and its member societies during the 1980s. At issue were the way the annual meeting was organized (see discussion of changes above), the financial arrangement between the Federation and its member societies, the role of FASEB in public affairs, financing construction of new buildings and the provision of various services. Through a series of planning sessions and some changes in personnel, the differences between member societies and the Federation were worked out during the early 1990s, when new arrangements for the annual meeting were made and a new financial relationship between FASEB and its member societies was established. Agreements were also reached as to FASEB’s important role in representing the combined strength of its member societies in public affairs. As a result of these changes, several additional societies have joined the federation. During the past quarter century four members of the society have served as the president of FASEB: Gerald F. Combs, Alfred E. Harper, Robert J. Cousins and John W. Suttie.
The American Society for Clinical Nutrition (ASCN).
In 1960 the AIN agreed to a special relationship with a separate society when the ASCN, incorporated in New York in 1959, affiliated as a division of the AIN. This was in keeping with one of the original objectives of the founders of the AIN to encourage nutrition within medical schools. Through the ensuing years, the ASCN has operated as a legally and financially separate society with its own journal and its own secretariat. Several individuals have served as the Executive Officer for the American Society of Clinical Nutrition during the past 25 y. Gilda Knight served from 1978 until 1987 when Steve Schiaffino succeeded her. Schiaffino left the position in 1993 and David Schnakenberg succeeded him until 1997 when Ann Marie Gebhart accepted the position. Gebhart was succeeded by Donald Clark in 1999 and he was followed by Sandra Schlicker, who was hired in 2002. Leadership of the ASCN is focused in its president. Those who have served in this capacity during the past quarter century are listed in Table 8 .
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In 1978 the ASCN began a competition for a student award in clinical nutrition research and is presently offering several young investigator awards selected on the basis of an abstract and, subsequently, the presentation at the annual meeting. Presently, Nestle Nutrition Institute sponsors this program.
In recent years the ASCN has been especially active in using fellowships to encourage clinical research in nutrition and nutrition education programs in medical schools. Presently, the premier award supports a partial salary for a physician who is providing leadership in clinical nutrition services or nutrition education in a medical school setting. In 1981 the ASCN began offering clinical nutrition student fellowships for summer research, with selection based on the quality of the research proposal. In 1995 the ASCN began collaborating with the American Medical Student Association to provide National Nutrition Internships. These have been supported by a variety of companies.
A major function of the ASCN is to sponsor The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN). AJCN began as a separately incorporated publication named The Journal of Clinical Nutrition in September 1952. The following year it became the AJCN. In 1961 the AJCN became the official journal of the ASCN with The Reuben H. Donnelley Corporation as owner and publisher. At that time it went to 12 issues per year, rather than the previous six. In 1967 the society purchased ownership of the AJCN from the publisher and began to take an active role in its business affairs.
Throughout its history, the AJCN has been under the editorial control of an editor-in-chief. The eight men who have served in this capacity are listed in Table 9 . Initially, the AJCN had an eight-member editorial board, which by 1961 grew to 11 plus six corresponding editors from outside the United States. In that year also Corinne H. Robinson served as Diet Therapy Editor and Robert E. Hodges served as associate editor. By 1978 the number of corresponding editors had increased to 12 and there was no longer a Diet Therapy Editor. In that year the journal consisted of 2384 pages covering letters to the editor, original communications, comments in biochemistry, comments and perspectives in nutrition, nutrition survey papers, methods in nutrition, international nutrition book reviews as well as editorials and special articles. In 1982 the journal was divided into two volumes per year and in 1987 it went to a larger page format.
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2400 pages in two volumes. Observing its 50th anniversary of becoming the AJCN in 2003, it is now the world’s leading journal in its category. Society for International Nutrition Research (SINR).
After 4 y of discussion, in the spring of 1993, SINR, which includes anthropologists and social scientists along with clinicians and experimentalists, was admitted as a second division of the AIN. The new division differs from the first, however, in that it is not separately incorporated, nor does it maintain a separate secretariat, but gets such support through an arrangement with the ASNS. It operates independently, however, with respect to legal and financial matters. In creating this second division, the Council and the society’s membership agreed with the SINR about the desirability of fostering close cooperation among research-based nutrition societies. Like the ASNS and the ASCN, leadership of the SNIR is focused in its president. Table 8
lists those who have served as president of this relatively new division.
Beginning in 1993, each year the SINR has awarded the Kellogg International Nutrition Research Award at a special event during the annual meeting. The first recipient was Michael Latham of Cornell University.
International Union for Nutritional Sciences (IUNS).
The nutrition society has cooperated with the IUNS since that organization’s beginning in 1948. As one of its major functions, the IUNS sponsors a periodic international meeting. At the time of the AIN's 75th anniversary these meetings were being held every 3 y, but by 1980 that was changed to a meeting every 4 y. The AIN and the U.S. Committee of the IUNS successfully hosted the XIIth International Congress in San Diego in 1981, a task that entailed considerable effort on the part of the society’s members and its secretariat. Typically, the ASNS secures a grant and makes travel funds available to these meetings. One of the society’s members, Nevin Scrimshaw, served as president of the IUNS Council from 1978 to 1981 and the society provided financial support for some of his activities. In 2000–2001, another society member, Barbara Underwood, also served as president of the IUNS Council and Mark Wahlqvist, also an ASNS member, currently holds that position. The IUNS has over 50 committees and working groups that address such subjects as nomenclature, ethics of experimentation and education, among others. The U.S. National Committee of the IUNS, to which the ASNS nominates members, is associated with the National Academy of Sciences. Many of the IUNS working committees have U.S. representatives.
Joint meetings.
For several years the AIN collaborated with the American Medical Association (AMA) and several other societies to sponsor the Western Hemisphere Nutrition Congress. Held within the Americas beginning in 1965, this meeting occurred every 3 y through 1983. With a change in leadership of the Food and Nutrition Council of the AMA, the meetings were discontinued.
The AIN collaborated in a special summer or fall meeting held jointly with the ASCN and the Canadian Nutrition Society beginning in 1973. Such meetings were held at Cornell University, University of Guelph, Michigan State University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of California at Davis. The last one was held only with the ASCN in the fall of 1989, at which there was a specialized topic rather than a general meeting. Lack of interest on the part of the members in attending two meetings a year resulted in discontinuing this series of meetings.
American Board on Nutrition (ABN).
The ABN, established in 1948 by several organizations including the AIN, certifies specialists in the field of human or clinical nutrition. During the past quarter century its functions have been closely related to those of ASCN because of the overlap in membership and because the two societies share office facilities. In the spring of 1986 the AIN Council provided some funds to the ABN and endorsed their application to become a certifying organization in nutrition as a medical specialty. The ABN applied to the American Board of Medical Specialties for formal recognition as a clinical subspecialty and in 1990 received an evaluation of their application. A major difficulty facing the ABN as it seeks recognition of this new subspecialty is the lack of sufficient training programs in clinical nutrition.
League for International Food Education (L.I.F.E.).
The AIN was one of the founding organizations when L.I.F.E. was formed in 1968 and continued its membership until 1990, when the League was discontinued. At AIN's 50th anniversary, Williams (1 ) noted that L.I.F.E. had been formed "to serve as a clearing house for collecting and providing information useful in the application of food and nutrition sciences, linking the professional know-how of some nations with the need-to-know of others." L.I.F.E. was supported in part by the U.S. Agency for International Development of the U.S. State Department.
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Public affairs |
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At the 50th anniversary, the society had a public affairs officer appointed from the membership and a public and professional information committee. In 1982 the latter became a public affairs committee. In 1984 joint public affairs and public information committees were formed between ASNS and ASCN, replacing the public affairs officer and the previous public affairs committee. In 1989 the joint public affairs committee formed a task force on hunger and malnutrition, which held special sessions on the subject at the annual meetings and functioned for 4 y. The public information committee has remained a joint committee of the ASNS and the ASCN, but the public affairs committee of the ASCN joined with the similar committee of the American Society for Parenteral Nutrition to more effectively influence federal programs related to clinical nutrition. The ASNS continues to operate with its own public affairs committee and in 1996 divided the committee into two parts, one focused on the Department of Agriculture and the other on Health and Human Services. In an effort to get research-based nutrition information out to the public, in 1994 the joint public information committee initiated a program of monthly press releases based on articles in The Journal of Nutrition and the AJCN. These releases frequently receive significant attention in newspapers and television.
To be more effective in influencing federal legislation and the actions of federal agencies, the society has made several attempts to create or join collaborative arrangements among food and nutrition-related societies as well as other health-related and agriculture-related societies. At the 50th anniversary the National Nutrition Consortium, formed in the summer of 1972, was active. The original members included the AIN, the ASCN, the American Dietetics Association and the Institute of Food Technologists. Other groups joined from time to time as affiliate members. Although the consortium had some success, it was never able to act swiftly enough to influence fast-moving events in Congress and in the federal agencies. Moreover, the process for getting all members to agree on a position was cumbersome and continual budget problems were even more troublesome. After a period of operating at a diminished level, the consortium held a final policy conference in the summer of 1985, then disbanded.
The desire to cooperate with other societies has continued, however, and several collaborations have been tried. For a brief time in the early 1980s AIN was a member of the Federation of Scientific Agricultural Societies, but the group soon disbanded. In 1994 the AIN joined the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy and the Ceres Forum Consortium. In 1996 ASNS joined Research!America and in 1997 participated with an Alliance for Continuing Nutrition Research and Monitoring. In 2000 ASNS joined the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology and in 2001 the National Coalition on Food and Agricultural Research. In 1994 the ASCN joined Shape Up America! and in 1997 joined with several other organizations that certify nutrition specialists. In a slightly different vein, but in recognition of the importance of animals in nutrition research, in 1991 ASNS joined the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care.
Perhaps the most effective replacement for the activities of the National Nutrition Consortium has been the Food and Nutrition Science Alliance (FANSA) formed in October 1992. With representation from the ASNS, ASCN, the American Dietetic Association and the Institute of Food Technologists, it issues statements on topics of current concern. Among their statements have been those addressing folic acid and pregnancy and "junk" science.
Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO).
The LSRO was created within FASEB in 1962 "to analyze and report on issues in biology and medicine as a public service." It operates with a professional staff to write reports based on the advice of a panel of scientists, primarily drawn from FASEB membership. Usually the reports have been requested by a federal agency, or similar entity, to provide scientifically sound information on which to base program decisions. Through the years many of the LSRO reports addressed nutrition topics such as nutrient safety, dietary fiber and colon cancer, nutrition during spaceflight, nutrient status of the U.S. population, trans fatty acids and many others.
In 1996 the FASEB Board decided to ask ASNS to take over the oversight responsibility for LSRO, in part because so many of their reports were on subjects more closely related to ASNS and ASCN expertise than to that of the other FASEB societies. In the spring of 1997 the Council agreed to a transfer, which was accomplished that year. After helping LSRO stabilize its activities and its financial situation, the ASNS asked it to become a separately incorporated entity. This was accomplished in January 2001, with ASNS retaining a seat on the LSRO Board and providing some help in office arrangements.
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The cost of operations of the society grew from about $340,000 for AIN in 1978 to about $2 million in 2002, a sixfold increase. Some special projects have been undertaken that have reduced the reserves of the society. For example, between 1997 and 2001, the ASNS Council committed over $550,000 to the development of LSRO into an independent corporation. Also, the Council invested funds to finance an online manuscript submission process for The Journal beginning in 2002. In spite of major capital outlays, annual dues increased only 3.5-fold, going from $39, including The Journal, in 1978 to $135 in 1997 and remained at that level through 2003. Through careful management, the net worth of the society has grown significantly over the past 25 y, increasing 10-fold from $200,000 in 1978 to nearly $2 million by the end of 2001. Additional funds amounting to over $300,000 have been held in permanently restricted accounts such as the McCollum International Lectureship.
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Sustaining associates.
During the past quarter century the support of society activities by a group of companies has been crucial to the financial and programmatic well-being of the society. These companies play an important role in the work of the ASNS and in that of its two divisions, the ASCN and SINR. Moreover, members who are employees of these companies and who participate actively in society affairs lend an important perspective on scientific and technical issues as well as public policy. In 1983 with the active encouragement of Max Milner, the society’s executive officer, representatives of these companies formed an ad hoc committee to be more effective in their support of the society. In 1986 the Industry Liaison Committee became a standing committee of the society. Currently, it relates to ASNS as an independent group formed to provide support to the society.
Strategic and long-range planning.
In the spring of 1995, as the result of a period of intensive effort instigated by Johanna Dwyer, a new mission statement and a strategic plan for the year 2000 were formulated. The mission stated that the society "is the premier research society dedicated to improving the quality of life through the science of nutrition." Strategic directions included supporting nutrition research, achieving appropriate influence on the development of public policy and programs related to nutrition, enhancing the stature of nutrition science as a discipline, ensuring that the society responds to needs of its membership and enhancing public awareness of the role of nutrition in improving the quality of life. The society continues to operate with a long-range planning committee that is charged with looking to the needs of the society in the future.
Professional conduct code.
In 1981 the AIN Council approved a Code of Professional Responsibility, which was slightly revised in 1990. Although the concerns of clinical practice and basic research differ in some aspects, the AIN and the ASCN worked together to address the issues of ethics in research and professional responsibilities. As befits their different responsibilities, the ASNS has developed a code that differs somewhat from that of the ASCN.
Preserving the history of the science and the society.
The first cover of The Journal of Nutrition carried a portrait of Antoine Lavoisier in recognition of his important role in establishing the science of nutrition. In 1944 The Journal began publishing biographical sketches of individuals who had made important contributions to the development of the science, and in 1963 E. Neige Todhunter was appointed the first biographical editor of The Journal. In 1968 the Council appointed her as the archivist for the society, a task in which Franklin Bing assisted her. In 1973 as the society began to consider its approaching 50th anniversary, the Council approved formation of an ad hoc committee on the history of nutrition, with Harry Day as the first chair of the committee. The committee began immediately to organize an effort to publish a 50-y history of the society (1 ) and in 1976 began to offer special sessions at the annual meetings on topics related to the history of nutrition (7 ). In 1978 it became a standing committee of the society.
In 1979 the Council moved to establish an archival repository of nutritional material of value to nutrition historians and scholars and to accept Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s offer to house the collection in connection with its own collection of materials related to the history of nutrition. In 1982 the society began sending to Vanderbilt on a regular basis materials of historical interest that had resided in the society files. Both the nutrition history collection of valuable books and manuscripts and the ASNS archives continue to grow to the present time. William J. Darby was instrumental in creating the exceptional collection of rare books related to the history of nutrition and in arranging for the location of the society’s archives in connection with it.
In her talk at the Fellows’ luncheon in 1983 (8 ), Todhunter addressed the society’s responsibility for nutrition history and quoted Vanderbilt’s Chancellor Wyatt’s saying: "If we allow the past to obsess us, we forsake our responsibility to the future. If we ignore the past, we forsake our obligation to learn from those who have gone before us." Todhunter concluded by asking that the society follow this advice.
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Although the ASNS has undergone enormous change during the past 25 y, it is likely that even greater changes are ahead. In part this is because the nature of the nutritional sciences is being influenced by the effects of the genomic era of biology and these effects can be expected to continue changing the nutritional sciences in ways not yet imagined. The dynamics of world leadership in the sciences and the political, economic and medical avenues for application of nutritional sciences to the well-being of people all over the world are also changing rapidly.
In recent editorials published in the Notes, the society’s current president, Steven Zeisel, is stressing the integrative nature of the nutritional sciences, which include research from the molecular level through cells, tissues, organs, systems, organisms and even populations. On the basis of the experience that nutrition scientists have with integration of knowledge from these different levels of research, Zeisel concludes that they should be leaders in the biological sciences as biologists begin to integrate information arising from knowledge of the human genome with knowledge of human behavior. Zeisel urges that the society take on the major challenge of helping to ensure that this leadership position is realized. Realization of this goal will require much effort on the part of ASNS members and innovative approaches by the society to further development of its annual meeting and its publications.
Manuscript received 19 December 2002. Revision accepted 27 December 2002.
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1. Williams, H. H. (1979) History of the American Institute of Nutrition: the first fifty years. Hill, F. W. eds. A History of the First 50 Years: 1928–1978 and the Proceedings of a Symposium Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of The Journal of Nutrition 1979:25-197 American Institute of Nutrition Bethesda, MD. .
2. King, C. G. (1958) Silver anniversary symposium: where are we going in nutrition?. Fed. Proc. 17:725.
3. Williams, H. H. (1979) A History of the First 50 Years: 1928–1978 and the Proceedings of a Symposium Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of The Journal of Nutrition. Hill, F. W. eds. 1979:1-23 American Institute of Nutrition Bethesda, MD. .
4. Anon, (2002) The fellows of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences. J. Nutr. 132:2838-2839.
5. Murlin, J. R. (1947) The origin and early development of the American Institute of Nutrition (Typescript). J. R. Murlin Papers, Manuscript Collection, Eskind Biomedical Library 1947 Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN.
6. Krauss, R. W. (1987) The history of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Fed. Proc. 17:243-250.
7. Day, H. G. (1977) Selected topics in history of nutrition: introduction. Fed. Proc. 36:1903-1904.
8. Todhunter, E. N. (1983) Reflections on nutrition history. J. Nutr. 113:1681-1685.
9. Darby, W. J. (1987) The American Institute of Nutrition. Fed. Proc. 17:235-240.
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