February 10, 2020 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has selected Susan Steck, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a core faculty member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program, as the recipient of the 2019 Award for Excellence in the Practice of Dietetics Research. This honor is one of the Academy’s Excellence in Practice Awards, which recognize outstanding registered dietitian nutritionists, nutrition and dietetics technicians, and members of the organization who have demonstrated innovation, creativity and leadership in a specific area of practice (e.g., research, clinical nutrition, community and public health, communications). Steck was honored at the Academy’s annual meeting in October.
A registered dietitian since 1997, Steck earned a Master of Public Health and Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina. She then completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program before returning to her alma mater for her first academic appointment.
Since her arrival at the Arnold School in 2005, Steck has earned continuous external funding from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute, American Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Defense and Prevent Cancer Foundation. She is currently funded by Susan G. Komen to establish an interdisciplinary doctoral training program in breast cancer disparities research.
Her research is pioneering in the field of nutrition, combining expertise in epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory-based research.
-Brie Turner-McGrievy, associate professor of health promotion, education, and behavior
Through these projects, Steck explores ways to reduce health disparities related to common cancers (e.g., breast, prostate, colorectal). This work has resulted in more than 140 peer-reviewed publications, an h-index of 45, and an i10 index of 106.
“Dr. Steck is a leading expert in nutrition in cancer prevention and control,” says Brie Turner-McGrievy, an associate professor in the Arnold School’s Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior whose research also focuses on nutrition. “Her research is pioneering in the field of nutrition, combining expertise in epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory-based research.”
What characterizes Dr. Steck is her selfless service and her commitment and dedication to each task at hand.
-Angela Liese, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics
In addition to the Academy’s recent research award, Steck’s efforts have been recognized with the organization’s Research Dietetic Practice Group First Author Award as well as the Outstanding Dietitian of the Year Award from its South Carolina chapter. At UofSC, Steck has been honored with the 2018 Distinguished Research Service Award and the 2016 Arnold School of Public Health James A. Keith Excellence in Teaching Award.
“What characterizes Dr. Steck is her selfless service and her commitment and dedication to each task at hand,” says Angela Liese, a nutrition epidemiologist and professor in the same department. “She has dedicated her career to advancing the understanding of the role of nutrition in cancer prevention and control, using both epidemiologic research methods and interventions to examine nutrition-related biologic mechanisms in humans.”
Related:
Susan Steck (EPID/BIOS) receives Outstanding Dietitian of the Year Award