Patricia Samour has finally gotten the recognition she deserves from the state she has helped make healthier since 1973.
Samour, a 17-year resident of Haverhill, was honored with the Annie Galbraith Outstanding Dietitian of the Year Award by the Massachusetts Dietetic Association. The award was presented at the association's annual meeting in Sturbridge.
"I was thrilled," Samour said, "They only give it to one person a year, and with all the people in the organization, I thought, what are the odds of me getting it?"
The award was particularly poignant because it is named after a very influential woman in Samour's life.
"Annie really was a great inspiration to me in my career," she said. "She was a lovely lady."
Samour works at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston as director of nutrition services and dietetic internship. The focus of her work during much of her career has been high-risk infant and she is a published author.
Her job is one she wouldn't trade for the world.
"I love it," she said. "I wouldn't want to work anywhere else. My work has great variety, and the people I work with are amazing. Plus, being the official hospital of the Red Sox doesn't hurt."
Samour, who earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware and her master's degree from Emory University in Atlanta, is an active volunteer with the Massachusetts Dietetic Association, which has about 2,000 members, and the American Dietetic Association, which has almost 70,000 members.
Although thrilling, the Dietician of the Year award isn't the first award Samour has received for her work. In 2000, the American Dietetic Association gave Samour a Medallion Award for her outstanding contribution to her profession.
Her job is to help people eat better and thus live healthier lives.
The basis of her teaching seems simple, but Samour finds that so many people ignore it in search of a quick fix — fad diets.
"The most important thing is to eat a balanced diet and exercise," she said. "Programs that say they can get you to lose weight might work. The problem is, you gain it all back."
That's where the importance of a dietitian comes in — the role Samour loves.
"We teach lifelong habits," she said. "What changes you personally have to make to get healthier. It's a very individualized approach. If you want to lose weight, it's a slow, steady process."
As Samour works to make others happier with their lives, she makes sure she enjoys her life as well. In addition to having a great passion for her career, she loves living in Haverhill. Five years ago, she started taking the MBTA commuter rail into Boston every morning and, while others squirm over the rising cost of gas, Samour hasn't had to think about it.
"It's a great location for commuters," she said of Haverhill. "I think I only drive six miles round trip every day, so I hardly ever pay for gas. I'm a happy commuter."
