Suffolk County, NY - April 16, 2018 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Commissioner of Health Services Dr. James Tomarken today congratulated Suffolk County Senior Public Health Sanitarian Amanda McDonnell, one of 12 applicants selected to participate in the Fellowship in Food Protection, a year-long program administered by the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI).
“Amanda McDonnell stood out from 60 applicants nationwide to be chosen as one of only 12 to achieve this prestigious fellowship,” said Bellone. “This achievement is testimony to Suffolk County’s outstanding public-health-protection program.”
The Fellowship in Food Protection Program is a year-long program that provides future regulatory leaders with an intensive professional development experience focused on critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills within the framework of food regulatory science, law and policy.
“Suffolk County food inspectors go above and beyond in that they not only inspect food establishments but also take the time to educate food handlers on how to prevent foodborne illness,” said Dr. Tomarken. “It is not surprising that one of our own would be selected for this prestigious fellowship.”
Amanda, who hails from Sound Beach, joined the Department of Health Services in 2000 as a food inspector and was promoted to supervisor in 2009.
The International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) is a leading food protection organization dedicated to protecting the world’s food supply. Established in 2009, IFPTI is dedicated to improving food safety by building training systems, providing regulation and standards-based curricula, and delivering training for U.S. and international public and private sector food safety professionals.
The program includes a series of three training sessions held at IFPTI’s global headquarters in Portage, Michigan. The fellows will also complete research projects during the year and present their findings at the 2019 Association of Food and Drug Officials Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Learn more about IFPTI at: https://ifpti.org.