New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA: Shailja Mathur, a Family and Community Health Sciences (FCHS) Extension Educator at Rutgers University, has been awarded the 2025 Distinguished Service Award by the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS)—the association’s highest professional recognition.
Mathur, who has over two decades of experience in nutrition and public health, was celebrated for her exemplary leadership in chronic disease prevention, community wellness programs, and the promotion of health equity among South Asian and other culturally diverse populations.
Since joining Rutgers Cooperative Extension in 2014, Mathur has helped lead the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Diabetes Prevention Program’s distance-learning model. Under her guidance, the initiative received the CDC’s top “Full Plus” recognition, with 90 participants successfully completing the year-long course this year.
Her New Jersey Empower to Prevent project also earned first-place honours for Excellence in Research from NEAFCS at both the state and Eastern Region levels.
Throughout her tenure, Mathur has been instrumental in fostering collaborations between Rutgers Cooperative Extension and several major health organisations, including the South Asian Total Health Initiative, Rutgers Medical School, Rutgers Cancer Institute, Rutgers School of Nursing, and the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Ageing Research.
Her efforts go beyond administration—she actively engages in community outreach, public education, and the training of peer leaders to deliver culturally sensitive health programs.
Over her 23-year career at Rutgers, Mathur has been the recipient of several prestigious honours, including the NEAFCS Social Media Outreach Award (2024), the Mary W. Wells National Diversity Award (2018), and the Mary Jane Willis Diversity Award (2019) from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
In addition, she is a CDC Lifestyle Coach Master Trainer and a certified facilitator for multiple evidence-based wellness initiatives.
Mathur earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Bridgeport and completed her dietetics training through Rutgers University and the Sodexo Internship Program in Allentown.
The award was formally presented during the NEAFCS Annual Session, held from October 20–23, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recognising professionals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and educational contributions in the field of family and consumer sciences.
