Margaret Garner, assistant dean of the College of Community Health Sciences and director of Health Promotion and Wellness, will be presented with the American Dietetic Association’s Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award, the institution’s highest honor, this Saturday.

The award was endowed in honor of Marjorie Hulsizer Copher, who made lasting contributions to the field of dietetics during and after WWI by her husband, Dr. Glover Copher, after her death.

The award is given annually to the dietician who displays outstanding achievement in nutrition and dietetics leadership and education.

Garner will be picked up by limo at the San Diego International Airport on Thursday. Hundreds of dieticians will be gathering to congratulate her at the opening session of ADA’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo.

In addition to being an associate professor in the School of Medicine, Garner is at the heart of most health-related programs on campus.  She is the assistant dean of Health Education and Outreach and the director of Nutrition Education and Services. Many of her programs, such as the rising tide fashion show, have won awards.

Garner’s passion for nutrition and wellness is fueled by her belief that the subjects are of major importance to everyone.

“Nutrition affects every single person in the world every single day,” she said.

Garner said receiving the distinction was a humbling experience.

“I’ve been able to do everything I love,” she said, “because I’ve had the opportunity to teach, mentor and be professionally active.”

Her ties to the University run deeper than her professorship, however. Her husband, Robert H. Garner, was a chemistry professor emeritus who served for 35 years on the UA faculty before his passing in 2004. All five of their sons attended the University, as well.

Dr. Michelle Harcrow, assistant director of Health Education and Promotion, said she was not surprised by Garner’s selection as this year’s award recipient, and described her as a “thinker and a doer who … can dream big and then bring those dreams to fruition.”

“She epitomizes servant leadership and sincerely cares about the welfare of others,” Harcrow said in an email.

Through the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness, Garner said she seeks to engage students in making lifestyle changes for their well being through initiatives like the Health Hut and Bama Car.

She insisted that it is feasible for college students to eat and live healthily, adding that “it is all about choices.”

While she was an undergraduate student in home economics at Georgia Southern College, Garner became interested in nutrition after an influential professor sparked her interest in the subject. She said the impact of her former teacher Ms. Todd, prompted her to earn her Master of Science in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

Garner places special importance in the role mentors have played in her life, and she continues to tout her belief in the significance of mentoring the next generation of students, especially in the fields of nutrition and dietetics.

“I want faculty to not give up on inspiring,” she said, “and I want students to see [nutrition] as an incredibly fulfilling profession.”

Garner has big plans for the future of Health Promotion and Wellness at the University of Alabama. During her acceptance speech on Saturday, Garner said she plans on challenging others to adopt the same approach.

“Make a difference where you are,” she said. “Carry the flame, but then ignite the flame in someone else.”