Phyllis B. Acosta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Phyllis Jean Brown Acosta (1933-12-27)December 27, 1933 Shoal Creek Township |
| Died | September 30, 2018(2018-09-30) (aged 84) |
| Occupation | Public health researcher |
Phyllis B. Acosta (December 27, 1933 – September 30, 2018) was an Americanpublic health researcher best known for her research on inheritedmetabolic disorders andvegetarian diets. She was a pioneer in developing nutritional therapy for the management ofphenylketonuria.
Acosta was born in Shoal Creek Township, Cherokee County, North Carolina. She obtained a B.A. in 1955 fromAndrews University and a Doctor of Public Health in 1969 from theUniversity of Southern California.[1][2] She worked withRichard Koch at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles during 1966–1970 to establish the first guidelines for nutrition management of phenylketonuria.[1] She also had a Master's in Dietetics degree.[3]
She started the first nutrition clinic to treat patients with inherited metabolic disorders atEmory University.[1] She was chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Florida State University and was Director of Metabolic Diseases atAbbott Nutrition from 1987 until her retirement in 2003.[1] At Abbott Nutrition she developed medical foods for individuals with metabolic disorders. She was the principal author of theRoss Nutrition Support Protocol Handbook which is cited as a resource for clinicians managing metabolic disorders.[1] In 2010, she authoredNutrition Management of Patients with Inherited Metabolic Disorders.[1] She published over 150 peer-reviewed papers.[4]
In 1967, Acosta received the firstLydia J. Roberts Fellowship in Public Health Nutrition. She was a member of theAmerican Dietetic Association[5] and was named an Outstanding Dietitian by the Association in 1991.[2]
She had three children with her husband.[2] She was aSeventh-day Adventist until her later years and was then described as "of theChristian faith".[3][6] She died inCleveland, Tennessee, aged 84.[2] The Genetic Metabolic Dietitians International established the Phyllis Acosta Scholarship Fund in her honor.[1]
Acosta was alacto-ovo vegetarian. She co-authoredDiet Manual: Utilizing a Vegetarian Diet Plan in 1965 for the Seventh-Day Adventist Dietetic Association.[6] In 1987, she attendedLoma Linda University's FirstInternational Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition.[7]
She studiedvegan and vegetarian diets withAlice Garrett Marsh of Andrews University and at Loma Linda University.[2] She was a reviewer for the 1988 and 1993 American Dietetic Association position papers on vegetarian diets.[8][9]
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