Ann La Berge, associate professor of science and technology studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of “associate professor emerita” by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The title of emeritus may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1981, La Berge made significant contributions to the understanding of the French history of medicine.

Her research focused on the history of 19th-century French public health and medicine. She has published one monograph, two co-edited volumes, and many articles and book chapters on French medicine and public health. She also pursued research and published a number of articles on the history of French medical microscopy.

Since 2006 La Berge has worked on a project on obesity in the United States, with a focus on diet. In 2008, she published an award-winning article on the ideology of low fat, and has worked on an article and chapter on the rise and fall of calorie counting as a weight-loss strategy.

La Berge also contributed to the discipline of science and technology studies as a frequent conference organizer and reviewer for national and international journals and funding agencies.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College, two master’s degrees from Vanderbilt University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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