Wolitzer seminar hosts Catherine Bertini

Pat Cassano and Catherine Bertini

The Division of Nutritional Sciences brought Catherine Bertini, former executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, to campus to deliver the Joyce Lindower Wolitzer ’76 and Steven Wolitzer Nutritional Seminar in February. The annual seminar series brings to campus a nationally-renowned speaker, innovator, or leader in the field of nutrition who will broaden the awareness of potential career opportunities for students studying human nutrition.

The lecture, “Maximizing Research Findings by Connecting Research to Policy Change,” highlighted links between the academic and policy worlds that influence and impact change at home and around the globe.

“This year, we are thrilled to be joined by Catherine Bertini who, as a distinguished leader in international organization management, humanitarian action, agricultural development and poverty reduction, has impacted countless lives around the world through her work ensuring individuals and families in dire need have the nutritional resources they required,” said Patricia Cassano, interim director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences.

An accomplished leader in international organization reform, Bertini has had a distinguished career improving the efficiency and operations of organizations serving poor and hungry people in the United States and around the world.

As executive director of the United Nations World Food Program from 1992 to 2002, Bertini was named World Food Prize laureate in 2003. She is a Rockefeller Foundation fellow and distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

In addition to the lecture, Bertini met informally with graduate and undergraduate student organizations and one-on-one with Cornell faculty.

Jennifer Rouin, assistant dean for Alumni Affairs and Development at the College of Human Ecology, said “we are so grateful to Joyce and Steven Wolitzer for their generous support endowing this annual lecture to expose students to the incredible breadth of opportunities that exist in the wide-world of nutrition.”

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