Amy Joye Memorial Research Award
Background: Amy F. Joye was born on January 22, 1968 to Sylvia and Channing Joye in Columbia, SC; she has two younger brothers, Rodney and Ashley. Amy attended elementary, middle, and high school in Columbia. She earned a BS in Biological Sciences in 1990 from Clemson University with a GPA of 3.2, and a MS in Sports Nutrition in 1995 from Georgia State University with a GPA of 3.9. In 1996, she completed a Coordinated Program in Nutrition and Dietetics at Georgia State University with a GPA of 3.7, and became a Registered Dietitian. During 2001 to 2002, she completed several graduate courses in horticulture at Clemson University. She received a Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management in 2002 and a Certificate of Training in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management in 2003 from the American Dietetic Association. Amy’s employment history (in chronological order) from 1993 to 2004 included working as a Graduate Research Assistant at Georgia State University for Dr. Dan Benardot in Atlanta, GA; part-time employment as an Administrative Associate and DEXA Technician at the Osteoporosis Evaluation Centers in Dunwoody, GA; Accounting Clerk at Hardaway Concrete Center in Columbia, SC; Clinical Dietitian for Sodexho-Marriott at the Medical University of South Carolina for Mary Basel and Dr. Patrick O’Neil in Charleston, SC; Graduate Research Assistant at Clemson University for Dr. Jim Faust in Clemson, SC; County Extension Agent for Clemson University Extension Services in Lexington, SC; and Research Associate and Project Director at the University of South Carolina for Dr. Suzi Baxter in Columbia, SC. Amy had an ablation done on her heart on December 1, 2004. What should have been a routine medical procedure turned into a medical tragedy that led to cardiac arrest and resulted in severe brain damage. Amy was in a semi-alert, comatose state for several years. She passed away on June 21, 2009. Amy loved her cats, planting vegetable gardens and sharing her harvest with others, going on “play dates” with her toddler nephew and toddler cousin whom she thought of as a nephew, spending time with her family (at home and at the beach), her dietetics profession, and nutrition research. After growing her hair to the required length, she had it cut and donated to “Locks of Love” in 2004; this inspired several of her co-workers to do the same. After Amy passed away, her family had her hair cut and donated to Locks of Love. In honor of Amy and her love for life and her profession, in April of 2007, the South Carolina Dietetic Association, Georgia Dietetic Association, and Amy’s family and friends began to create a Named Fund through the American Dietetic Association Foundation (ADA Foundation), with plans to raise a minimum of $50,000 (to make it a permanently restricted fund); the Fund will be used to make nutrition research awards, with the specifics drafted by a Task Force. The goal to establish the Amy Joye Research Fund at the $50,000 (minimum) endowment level was reached in March, 2009. The principal will remain intact in perpetuity, and only the interest will be used to award nutrition research grants. Process and Fund Criteria: • Members of the Task Force (who wrote draft criteria for the nutrition research award) include Suzi Baxter, PhD, RD, LD, FADA; Linda Schuessler, MS, RD, LD; Dan Benardot, PhD, DHC, RD, LD, FACSM; and Patrick O’Neil, PhD. Donate now |
