Strohbehn earns praise for innovative outreach
By Michelle Rydell
Catherine Strohbehn, Families Extension specialist in hotel, restaurant, and institution management (HRIM), reviews hand-washing teaching strategies with doctoral candidate Paola Paez, using a “glo germ” lotion and black light. Strohbehn recently was recognized for food safety leadership by the National Sanitation Foundation.
Nearly half of the average American’s food budget is spent eating away from home, according to the USDA. That’s why Catherine Strohbehn educates food service companies on the power they have to impact people’s health.
Her dedication to food safety has not gone unnoticed by peers and leaders in her field. Strohbehn, an Iowa State University Extension specialist in hotel, restaurant, and institution management (HRIM), was recently awarded the 2010 Food Safety Leadership Award for Education from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), the world leader in standards development, production certification, education, and risk-management for public health and safety. She will receive the award at the Food Safety Summit in Washington, D.C., April 14.
The award recognizes Strohbehn for providing outstanding food safety educational outreach for students, farm workers, consumers, and food service employees in schools, assisted living facilities, restaurants, and universities. Her nomination letters also praise her ingenuity, vision, and innovation in Extension outreach.
“Dr. Strohbehn is one of the first researchers to examine farm-to-school [lunchroom] issues … (She) had the foresight in the late 1990s to begin examining these issues, including food safety – and now farm-to-school is receiving national attention as a priority with USDA,” according to a nomination letter from Jeannie Sneed, food safety specialist in the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
Strohbehn has developed approaches to teaching food safety that use multimedia, including video, interactive computer-based training, simulations, and podcasts. Strohbehn directs a popular food safety web site (www.iowafoodsafety.org), which features interactive lessons, videos, and downloadable handouts, and receives more than nine million visits per year.
“It’s really important to provide science-based information, and our web presence allows us to do that,” Strohbehn said. “We’re trying to use the web as a vehicle to get food safety information to the general public.”
Strohbehn, who has taught 10 different ISU courses to more than 2,000 students in the past 20 years, said food safety education appeals to her because of a growing disconnect with people regarding the source of their food and how it is produced. By reaching out through education and incorporating a web-based approach, Strohbehn has made lasting impact not only in Iowa, but across the nation, according to her nominator.
“I think it’s very important to raise awareness among people that what they put in their bodies really affects their overall well-being,” she said. “You can’t fully tap into your human potential if one is not in good health.”
Catherine Strohbehn, Families Extension specialist in hotel, restaurant, and institution management (HRIM), reviews hand-washing teaching strategies with doctoral candidate Paola Paez, using a “glo germ” lotion and black light. Strohbehn recently was recognized for food safety leadership by the National Sanitation Foundation.