Lauren Au Receives 2026 Mary P. Huddleson Award

The Department of Nutrition is proud to celebrate Dr. Lauren Au, who has been selected to receive the 2026 Mary P. Huddleson Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation.

The award recognizes an Academy member and registered dietitian nutritionist who has published an exceptional paper in the Journal during the previous calendar year. Dr. Au is being honored for her research article, “Longer WIC Participation Is Associated With Higher Diet Quality and Consumption of WIC-Eligible Foods Among Children 2-5 Years Old,” published in the October 2025 issue of the Journal.

Her research examines the relationship between WIC participation and diet quality among young children, contributing important evidence about the role of nutrition assistance programs in supporting healthy eating and access to nutritious foods.

The Mary P. Huddleson Award honors the legacy of Mary P. Huddleson, who made exceptional contributions to scientific literature in nutrition and dietetics during her 19 years as editor of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, now the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“I’m honored to be a recipient of the 2026 Huddleson Award for our work showing how the WIC food package contributes to nutritious diets in young children,” said Dr. Au.

Congratulations to Dr. Au on this well-deserved recognition of her research and contributions to the field of nutrition and dietetics!