Oct 16, 2026
The Nutritional Medicine Institute (NMI) has announced the launch of the NMI Award for Outstanding Contribution to Personalised Nutrition, recognising individuals whose work has made a significant and lasting contribution to the advancement of personalised nutrition.
The award celebrates clinicians, researchers, educators and advocates whose achievements have advanced knowledge, education, clinical practice, innovation or professional advocacy, helping to strengthen the role of evidence-informed personalised nutrition within contemporary healthcare.
NMI is honoured to announce Heather Rosa as the inaugural recipient of the award in 2026, recognising her remarkable contribution to nutritional therapy education and professional standards.
Heather was a highly respected nutritional therapist, educator and academic leader whose career in nutrition education spanned more than three decades. From 1999 to 2014, she was Course Leader and Principal Lecturer at the University of Westminster, where she established and led the UK’s first degree in Nutritional Therapy. In 2014, she became Dean of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION), where she played a central role in the continued development of its higher-education provision.
Her influence extended beyond academic leadership. Heather contributed to the development of National Occupational Standards and the Nutritional Therapy Core Curriculum and was recognised as a Fellow of both the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and the Higher Education Academy. She remained actively involved in nutrition education and professional development until her passing in July 2026.
Reflecting on Heather’s contribution, Dr Kirstie Lawton of the Nutritional Medicine Institute described her as “a leader, a creative mind, a driving force, a teacher, a colleague, a boss, a mentor, a blue-sky thinker” and someone who was “incredibly kind and considerate.” “She encouraged you to be the best practitioner and teacher that you never knew you could be, and she supported so many of us all the way to the top. That is her legacy – her unique ability to see the best of people and to help them to thrive.”
The inaugural Award for Outstanding Contribution to Personalised Nutrition honours Heather’s legacy and the profound influence she had on generations of practitioners, educators and colleagues. Future recipients will continue this tradition as we recognise individuals whose dedication, expertise and leadership are helping to shape the future of personalised nutrition.