President's Column

President's Column

By: Cindy Seidman

GCRC Rockefeller University Hospital

The GCRC Annual Meeting always serves as a source of inspiration for me as I am sure it is for you. Its success is due in large part to the genuine interest demonstrated by our members and the energy and creativity of all the participants. The meeting also serves as a way for all of us to reflect on where we are and where we are headed as a national association.

As we learned from the RD Presentations at the annual meeting, our purpose as Bionutritionists is becoming evermore sophisticated. We are no longer limited to metabolic diet planning and production. Our roles have grown to be much more extensive than what is outlined in the NCRR/NIH Guidelines for GCRC Programs. We are an integral part of the research team and it is important that we maintain competencies in nutrition research techniques and protocol procedures, as well as our improving skills in computer technologies, body composition instrumentation, and quality management procedures.

Another goal in the upcoming year is to continue our participation in the Bioinformatics initiative and ensure that our contributions are recognized.

As we approach the implementation of "Professional Development 2001" we should not only direct our educational opportunities towards nutrition research, but seek out novel experiences to expand our knowledge base. Enhancing our skills enables us to become even more valuable contributors to the research efforts of our GCRCs.

Using our fellow colleagues as role models and sharing our experiences, we can work together with the Education Committee to bring us closer to achieving our goals.

Many thanks to the Board of Directors, the Planning Committee, and the newly elected officers. Finally, a special thank you to our past president, Ellen Anderson, for her strong leadership and guidance throughout the past year. I consider her an outstanding role model and hope that I can maintain her high standards of excellence. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming year.