Biography

A trustee since 2012, Hwalla is a professor of human nutrition and a former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science at the American University of Beirut. She founded and nurtured the first undergraduate program in Nutrition and Dietetics in the country and the region and established the profession of dietetics as a highly respected and recognized occupation in Lebanon. Appointed by the Director General of WHO to serve on the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Nutrition and as an expert consultant to FAO, WHO, and IAEA to establish guidelines and advise governments on nutrition-related issues. Hwalla is recognized nationally and internationally for her achievements. She has published over 100 international peer-reviewed articles and received extensive funding for research from national and international agencies. She also received several national and international awards that include: Fellow of (IUNS) International Union of Nutritional Sciences in 2009; Fellow of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (FAND) in 2014; the 2012 Distinguished Researcher Award by the Lebanese research Council (CNRS); the 2014 Susan Bulkely Butler Leadership Excellence Award by Purdue University, USA; the Researcher Pioneer Award by the Lebanese parliament in 2016 , and the Takreem award for regional excellence in education in 2017. Hwalla holds a Ph.D. in basic medical sciences from the American University of Beirut (1977) and postdoctoral fellow from Columbia University (Nutrition, 1981). She also holds a certification registered by the American Dietetic Association (1987).