Phyllis B. Acosta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 December 1933 Shoal Creek Community |
| Died | 30 September 2018 |
| Occupation | Public health researcher |
Phyllis B. Acosta (27 December 1933 – 30 September 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 management ofphenylketonuria.
Acosta was born Phyllis Jean Brown[1] at the SDA Shoal Creek Community in Georgia. She obtained a B.A. fromAndrews University in 1955 and Doctor of Public Health in 1969 from theUniversity of Southern California.[2][3] She worked withRichard Koch atUniversity of California, Los Angeles during 1966–1970 to establish the first guidelines for nutrition management of phenylketonuria.[2] Acosta had a Master's in Dietetics.[4]
She started the first nutrition clinic to treat patients with inherited metabolic disorders atEmory University.[2] She was chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Florida State University and was Director of Metabolic Diseases at Abbott Nutrition from 1987 until her retirement in 2003.[2] 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.[2] In 2010, she authoredNutrition Management of Patients with Inherited Metabolic Disorders.[2] She published over 150 peer-reviewed papers.[5]
In 1967, Acosta received the firstLydia J. Roberts Fellowship in Public Health Nutrition. She was named an Outstanding Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association in 1991.[3] She was a member of theAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics.[6]
Acosta had a total of three children with her husband.[3] Acosta was aSeventh-day Adventist and was later described as "of theChristian faith".[4][7] She died inCleveland, Tennessee aged 84.[3] The Genetic Metabolic Dietitians International established the Phyllis Acosta Scholarship Fund in her honour.[2]
Acosta was alacto-ovo vegetarian. She co-authoredDiet Manual: Utilizing a Vegetarian Diet Plan in 1965 for the Seventh-Day Adventist Dietetic Association.[7] In 1987, she attended Loma Linda University’s FirstInternational Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition.[8]
Acosta studied vegan and vegetarian diets withAlice Garrett Marsh of Andrews University and atLoma Linda University.[3] She was a reviewer for the 1988 and 1993 position papers of theAmerican Dietetic Association on vegetarian diets.[9][10]
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