Hall of Fame, 2012 Inductees
Evelyn B. Enrione
Evelyn Enrione began her career in dietetics and nutrition, as a dietetic technician in a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida hospital. Realizing her passion for medical nutrition therapy she became a Registered Dietitian and then received her doctoral degree from Purdue University in nutrition. She earned a bachelor’s degree (Food Science & Nutrition) from University of Florida and a Master’s degree (Dietetics & Nutrition) from Florida International University, where she is a member of the faculty in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition.
Her research initiatives started in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue where her medical nutrition interests concentrated on therapeutic evaluation of parenteral nutrition in cancer growth with Drs. Dorothy Morré and Curtis Black. To enhance her proficiency in this area, she accepted a post-doctoral and clinical fellowship in the Department of Surgery, School of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. After a ten year hiatus from the laboratory, Dr. Enrione was awarded a sabbatical at the Division of Research and Scientific Affairs, American Dietetic Association (presently, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) to investigate the clinical reliability and validity of the Nutrition Care Process (NCP), a systematic approach to providing nutrition care. She conceived and developed this research process and is the only person nationally who is systematically evaluating the NCP through evidence-based research. Dr. Enrione has performed successfully in both laboratory and field research. One of her greatest achievements is the accomplishments of the graduate students she has mentored.
Evelyn has been involved in dietetics’ education for over 30 years. Throughout those years she was appointed to administrative positions in both didactic and practicum programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Enrione also served, for ten years, as the Associate Dean for the College of Health and Urban Affairs where she directed progress in both academics and facilities expansion. She facilitated mergers between health programs and human services programs and was instrumental in coordinating the construction of two buildings with offices and laboratories for the new Academic Health Center at Florida International University.
As a leader in dietetics, Evelyn has been influential in various professional organizations representing education and legislative interests related to dietetics. She has been active among the Florida legislators in promoting the awareness of the cost effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy in health care. Dr. Enrione has held several positions in the district, state, and national dietetic associations; most significant was President of the Florida Dietetic Association and Florida Delegate. Evelyn has received numerous awards and honors, including Outstanding Dietetic Educator (American Dietetic Association) and President’s Award (Florida Dietetic Association). For her career achievements, she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award (Purdue University, College of Consumer and Family Sciences).
Karen L. Plawecki
Dr. Karen Plawecki, PhD, RD, was born in Hammond, Indiana and grew up in South Bend. She received her BS degree from the Department of Nutrition Science (then Foods & Nutrition) and completed her dietetic internship at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen practiced for two years as a clinical and outpatient dietitian at Baptist Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. She returned to Purdue in fall of 1989 to earn an MS in Nutritional Sciences. Her graduate work was part of the ground breaking research with Connie Weaver in the area of calcium metabolism in adolescents. She was able to help design and implement the first Camp Calcium. When she completed her Master’s Degree in 1991, she stayed on to work as the first coordinator of the Nutrition, Fitness and Health major, while also serving as Assistant to Head.
In January of 1995, she took a position as Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and ultimately completed her doctoral training in Nutritional Sciences. Since completion of her PhD, she has continued to teach, direct the Didactic Program in Dietetics and pursue food and nutrition behavior research. Active in website development, she is also utilizing technology for her research. She has been active in development of Extension program materials and undergraduate courses and curriculum.
Dr. Plawecki is active in her professional organizations and serves as an editorial reviewer for four journals. She has served as President of both the Illinois Dietetic Association and the Eastern Illinois Dietetic Association, as well as served as Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning group for the state association.
She has won numerous awards, including Outstanding Dietetics Educator by the Illinois Dietetic Association, 2010, 2005 College of ACES Outstanding Instructor, Alpha Zeta Honorary Agricultural Fraternity, Outstanding Advisor/Mentor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois. 2003-2004, Outstanding Young Professional, School of Consumer and Family Sciences, Purdue University. 1998 and Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year, Illinois Dietetic Association, 1998.
In fall of 2012, she will begin a new position as Assistant Professor of Nutrition at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL, where her research will target bone health.
Mary Ellen Zabik
Mary Ellen McMahon Zabik earned a BS in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue in 1959. She then went to Michigan State, where she completed a Master's program in 1961 and a PhD in Food Science in 1970, serving as a research instructor during that period also. After completing her advanced degrees she began a 30-year career as a Michigan State University faculty member and was Associate Dean for Adacademic Affairs in the College of Human Ecology when she retired in 2000. She was elevated to distinguished professor at Michigan State in 1990.
A leader in her field, Zabik is one of small group of faculty members at Michigan State who have earned the prestigious title of University Distinguished Professor. In addition, she has received numerous other MSU awards including the Diana Employee Recognition, the Woman Achiever Recognition, and the College of Human Ecology Research/Creative Endeavors Award. From professional associations, she won the Borden Award and was honored as a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists. She was made a Distinguished Faculty Member of the Michigan Association of Governing Board of State Universities in 1992 and a Distinguished Alumni of the School of Consumer and Family Sciences in 2001.
Dr. Zabik had growing responsibilities in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition through the years. She became an associate professor in 1973 and a full professor in 1978. During this period, until 1988, she also served as Associate Chairperson of the department. From 1985 to 1988, she also served as Acting Associate Dean of the College of Human Ecology. Then from 1988 to her retirement in June of 2000 she was the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Zabik's research provided a better understanding of the influence of food processing and preparation on contaminants that enter foods. Her research determined that cooking foods can dramatically reduce levels of PCBs, dioxins, pesticides, and animal drugs.
An authority on the reduction of halogenated hydrocarbons in fish and other food, additional research interests include the functionality of ingredients in food and food safety. Her research has been instrumental in the development of fish consumption advisories in the U.S. and Canada. These advisories target reducing consumption of contaminated fish by women in their childbearing years.
She has no less than 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals, plus book chapters and bulletins. She and her husband Matthew are active in their community and have created the Drs. Matthew and Mary Ellen Zabik Natural Science Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry at Michigan State.
Alice A. Spangler
Dr. Alice Spangler, PhD, RD, CFCS, CD, received her BS from the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue in 1967 and also her Masters degree in nutrition in 1968. She completed her doctorate in Nutrition and Higher Education at Michigan State University in 1971. She was invited to join the faculty at Michigan State upon completion of her doctorate, then took a position on the faculty at Ball State University in 1979. Currently a professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Ball State, she served as department chair for 12 years. In her season of departmental leadership, many Purdue graduates were served through the Ball State supervised practice experience.
Her area of teaching has been nutrition and management courses, which she has taught for both the dietetic program and the hospitality and food management program at Ball State. Her research interests have included nutrition risk of older persons in relationship to demographics and community resources; application of GIS (Geographic Information System) to interpret nutrition screening data; fluid intake and needs of older people; food preferences of older people; and food insecurity.
She was awarded the Ball State University Outstanding Administrator Award in 2005. She has served in several leadership positions, including president of the Indiana Dietetic Association, and currently serves on the American
Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Council for Accreditation. She has received both the Recognized Young Dietitian Award (Michigan) and the Honored Dietitian Award (Indiana). She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its practice groups, Dietetics in Health Care Communities and Healthy Aging, and was a nutrition consultant for long term care facilities for several years.
A testimonial to Dr. Spangler was sent by Judith Roepke, a fellow Hall of Fame member. "Alice has been active in research and an incredibly good department chair. She has protected the interests of the department in appropriate situations, worked to bring various sections of a diverse department together and, in general, set a wonderful tone for all the department. She has been an excellent administrator."
