The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) held a ceremony, on December 6, 2007 at Issam Fares Hall, to celebrate the designation of the Nutrition and Food Science Department as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for research, training and outreach in nutrition and food science. The event was attended by AUB Provost Peter Heath, WHO Country Representative Hussein Abu Zaid, FAFS Dean Nahla Hwalla, and Farid Karam, representing the Ministry of Public Health in addition to FAFS Faculty Members, Lebanese Association for Nutrition and Food Science (LANFS) members, graduates and students.

"This designation is a testimony of outstanding achievements made by the faculty and staff of the Nutrition and Food Science Department in their teaching, research and service, and the superior quality of their graduates," said Hwalla. "It is also a culmination of the success, progress and innovation of the department."
As noted by WHO Representative of Lebanon, this is the first WHO Collaborating Center in the country. It will address issues related to the health and well-being of the people of Lebanon by addressing important nutritional problems in the community. The center, through its integrated structure in research, teaching, resources and outreach, will serve in achieving the University goals and those of WHO. It will assist in collection and dissemination of information on health, illness and risk factors. This collaboration will enhance and enrich the abilities of the University to better serve the country in the areas of food and nutrition.

Hwalla added that the department is well-recognized for its research and publications, which wouldn't have been complete without the collaboration of the Ministry of Public Health. "This collaboration marks a prominent step in the growth of the department and promises further success in contributing to the public health of the country," she said.
Hwalla also recognized a graduate of the Nutrition Department, Sawsan Wazzan Jabri, who is the co-owner and general manager of the Nutrition and Diet Center, the first of its kind in Beirut to provide diet therapy and diet food to clients. The center has now expanded in the region and has opened in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. Wazzan-Jabri has also recently received the Bahraini Prize for Excellence.

Wazzan Jabri expressed her appreciation for this recognition, sharing some of her experience in the field.

Other distinguished graduates of the Department were also recognized.
Abu Zaid, the WHO Country Representative, highlighted selection criteria for an institution to be designated as a WHO collaborating center. "I am pleased to announce the collaboration with the Nutrition and Food Science Department at AUB," he said.
The selection criteria used to designate an institution as a WHO collaborating center are:
1) The scientific and technical standing of the institution at the national and international levels, with particular reference to its recent record of achievement and its ongoing activities
2) The quality of the institution's scientific and technical leadership
3) The working relationship that the institution has developed with other institutions in the country as well as at the intercountry, regional and global levels; and
4) The ability and readiness of the institution to provide services over a sufficient period of time and not only for a single, limited task.

Representing the Minister of Public Health in Lebanon, Farid Karam discussed the successful collaboration between the nutrition and food sciences department the ministry. He also acknowledged Dean Hwalla's significant contributions to the field of nutrition and food science through developing new policies and government licensing for dietitians.
Provost Peter Heath confirmed this designation as "further recognition of the excellence at the Nutrition and Food Science department in the fields of teaching, research and services." His concluding remarks highlighted the success of the two academic programs of the department and the quality of their graduates.

Author:
Nahla Hwalla,
Dean,
FAFS,
nahla@aub.edu.lb