THE FLATS – Leah Thomas, Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Development for Georgia Tech athletics, has been named one of three finalists for the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Healthcare Heroes award in the Allied Health Professional category.
The annual Healthcare Heroes Awards honor people who have demonstrated excellence in the healthcare field. In its 22nd year, the awards are divided amongst seven categories. Thomas was named a finalist in the allied health professional category which honors an individual working in ancillary professions, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists and nutritionists. Finalists selected go above and beyond the call of duty, impact the growth and development of the profession and have an impact on the community.
The winners will be announced at a reception on May 16 and profiled, along with all honorees, in a special section of the Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 17.
With a degree in nutrition from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a master’s degree from Georgia State University, Thomas has been a staff member of the GTAA since 2003, when she began her role as director of nutrition, and over the last 16 years has developed one of the most robust and innovative sports nutrition programs in college athletics. Thomas’ duties range from conducting individual nutrition counseling sessions available to the 400+ current student-athletes, developing meal plans and in-game fueling plans for each of the Tech’s sports programs, and overseeing the ordering, stocking, and management of the nutrition center.
Featured in the College Football Hall of Fame as one of the leading and longest standing sports dietitians working in college football, Thomas has been recognized for her professional success in the local Atlanta community and beyond. She has authored a chapter in the book ‘Sports Nutrition: A Guide for the Professional Working with Active People’, and she has previously written a monthly nutrition column for the Atlanta Track Club publication, ‘Wingfoot’.
In 2017, she was selected by her Atlantic Coast Conference peers to be the conference representative on CPSDA’s Power 5 committee, a committee formed to address issues facing sports dietitians in the collegiate setting among the Power 5 conferences, specifically NCAA legislative changes relating to food & nutrition. Even more notably, in 2018 she was the recipient of the Excellence Award from the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association, which recognizes one professional each year for providing the highest quality of care to athletes and for extraordinary dedication to the profession of sports nutrition.
For a full list of the finalists, please click here.
