Margaret L. Bogle, PhD
Margaret Lowe Bogle finished high school in Yell County and received her first college degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Margaret spent 23 + years of her professional career in Arkansas. She was the daughter of educators who lived in Texas during her early years and educational pursuits took her out of state for short periods of time. Everywhere Margaret landed, she was involved in leadership positions in her professional field and her community. Certainly, Arkansas benefitted from her professional pursuits as well as her leadership and community service.
Margaret Lowe Bogle’s extensive and distinguished career in nutrition science and community service demonstrates her exceptional contributions to women and her profession in Arkansas and the nation. Her pioneering efforts in professionalizing the field of dietetics which was primarily a profession for women at the time and advocating for women’s advancement in science and academia have left a lasting impact on the field of nutrition and dietetics and the lives of the countless individuals still practicing in these fields.
Margaret played a crucial role in establishing professional standards and recognition for dietitians in Arkansas and nationally. She was the first full time registered dietician hired for Arkansas Children’sHospital.She led efforts to create a structured promotion system for dietitians, (who were at the time almost always women) ensuring recognition and competitive salaries based on their expertise and responsibilities. This allowed them to be a part of the professional team (side by side with pharmacists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors) serving the needs of patients. This led to her assisting other children’s hospitals to do the same; Mercy Children’s Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri; Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois; Marriott Corporation for Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D C; Greater Kansas City Dietetic Association; Duke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina, and Children’s Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. (1985-1990).
By elevating the profession of dietetics and getting these professionals recognized as a member of the medical team serving patients, Bogle increased the demand for these women and increased their pay scale as well.
From her experience as a Pediatric Nutrition Consultant with the Arkansas Department of Health, she learned that dietitians could get certification to prescribe WIC (Women’s, Infants and Children) benefits for children and families at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and those families being seen in the hospital’s clinics. Many families had the opportunity to enroll in these benefits before leaving the hospital, allowing them to take home infant formulas, including medically prescribed ones that were often unavailable in the rural communities where they reside, due to the certification of these professionals. This added to the credentials of the dietitians and provided a needed service to moms and their babies.
Bogle's leadership roles in professional organizations and academia underscore her influence as a mentor and advocate for future generations of nutrition professionals and the clients they served. Just to highlight a few…
Peer reviewer for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association: Preventive Medicine; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Journal of Physical Activity and Health
Served on the Diabetes Advisory Council for the Arkansas Department of Health, 2010.
Board of Directors, The American Dietetic Association, 1985, 2004-2006, Chair, The American Dietetic Association Foundation, 2004-2006
Chair, State Advisory Committee on Commodity Food Distribution, Arkansas School Lunch Program, State Department of Education, Little Rock, Arkansas (1978—1980)
Member, Task Force on Children and Handicapping Conditions, The White House Conference on Children, Washington, DC (1970)
Member, Governor’s Conference on Children, Health Task Force, Austin, Texas (1969-1971)
Member of group selected by Maternal and child Health Service, Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education and Welfare to revise Monograph: Suggested Guidelines for Evaluation of Nutritional Status of Preschool Children, Washington, D.C. (1970)
In addition to those listed, she was sought after as a speaker and a consultant on many of the nutritional issues facing children. Her contributions to educational programs and mentorship initiatives have helped shape the careers of many aspiring professionals.
Margaret’s leadership roles in professional organizations and academia underscore her influence as a mentor and advocate for future generations of nutrition professionals and the clients they served.
Chair, Committee on Professional Registration, American dietetic Association (1972-1974)
Chair, Quality Assurance Committee, Council on Practice, American Dietetic Association (1979-1982)
Ad Hoc Committee on Licensure, American Dietetic Association (1982-1984)
Chair, Council on Practice, American Dietetic Association (1983-1984)
Chair, Ad Hoc Committee on Specialization, Council on Practice (1985-1989)
Chair, Advanced level Practice Committee, American Dietetic Association (1989-1993)
Margaret and other leaders in the field recognized that following the success with registration of Dietitians, licensure was necessary for the profession to achieve full integration into the medical team and effectively serve patients.
Three years were spent working with licensure boards already established, (Nursing, Pharmacy and others) building support for this, working with individual legislators and legislative committees. Arkansas became the first state to license dietitians that included a “Professional Practice Clause” that specified what they could and could not do in the care of patients. Quickly other states modeled their example.
Margaret’s leadership and service went beyond her profession of nutrition and dietetics. She actively promoted women’s professional development and equal status in various sectors. She served as President of both The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and the International Women’s Group. She was also a founding member of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. She was involved with the early development of the Girls of Promise, a collaboration with UALR that promoted STEM to eighth grade girls by providing a workshop that brought women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to interact and provide mentorship to the group. In the early days of this program, many of the participants would not have been on a college campus prior to their participation in this program.
While President of the International Women’s Group, she enlisted board members in trying to get one of the Regional Groups made up of women from all parts of the world to meet in Little Rock. They were successful in bringing this group to Little Rock in late January for one year. There were 21 women in the group including the President of Ireland, Mayor of Russia’s capital city, State Senator from Jamaica to name a few of the notable women as guests in the city when the state suffered a major winter ice storm. Every place on their list for their guests was closed but not to be outdone, Margaret and her committee worked with city leaders and others to host the group in every venue and they enjoyed dinner at the Governor’s mansion. The guests were blown away by the Arkansas hospitality. The Mayor from Russia told the guest that if something similar had happened in her country they would have been closed for most of the year. The purpose of the workshop was to demonstrate that women across the globe share similar goals.
Margaret was the first dietitian to be hired at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The traditional field of dietetics which at the time was a profession primarily of women was utilized more in meal planning and preparation at the time. However, Margaret recognized the value of nutrition education in a clinical setting and the benefit that expertise could provide to the overall care of patients since the medical profession of doctors had very little nutrition training and no training in food composition. So, the registration of the profession, the structured promotion and pay plan and later licensure were all breaking new ground for women as has been mentioned in this nomination.
Margaret was the first dietitian to be appointed by the Governor of Arkansas as Chair of the First Arkansas Board of Dietetic Licensure. She served as the board chair for five years and a total of ten years on the board.
Margaret's leadership in this initiative highlights her commitment to advancing the profession of dietetics and advocating for the interests of healthcare professionals in Arkansas. Margaret will tell you that her work and obtaining professional status for dietitians in the State and Nation through these various steps is her proudest accomplishment. It enhanced the lives of numerous professionals in the field by boosting job satisfaction, enhancing patient care through the inclusion of knowledgeable and experienced nutrition specialists in their care teams, offering a career advancement pathway for many, and advancing salaries for women statewide and nationwide.
Margaret regularly served on various committees at UAMS often where dietitians had not been recognized before. Achieving faculty status in the department was not easy nor did it have a tract for dietitians. Again, not unusual all over the U. S. for a profession primarily made of women working in a world dominated by men to be overlooked. Margaret represented women and their ability each time she served on committees or took a leadership role within the medical school
Margaret was sought after as a speaker and a consultant on many of the nutritional issues facing children. She worked closely with the Arkansas Department of Health first by providing her service as a nutrition consultant for a monthly “Well Baby Clinic” in Mt. Ida, Arkansas.
She testified before the U. S. Senate Agriculture Committee several times concerning rural nutrition needs and the continued need for more research in the area, since most nutrition was administered through USDA and research in the area was funded by the Agricultural Research Service.
Through her positions in academia and healthcare institutions, Bogle actively contributed to healthcare policy development and implementation. Her involvement with initiatives such as the Delta Obesity Prevention Project demonstrates her dedication to addressing critical health issues, especially in underserved communities.
The original focus of the project was to get faculty from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to work together, sharing skills and cultural practices in rural communities across the three states. The coordination and involvement of these professionals working together elevated their expertise in addressing the needs in local communities. All three states suffered from negative health conditions, often resulting from malnutrition, food insecurity, poverty, food deserts etc. Congress appropriated and funded a new initiative that would establish research appropriate for the situation.
Margaret’s job was to coordinate all the various aspects and to ensure that community folks were always at the table in the planning stages of each project. This would be the first time many of these individuals including the women had ever been included and asked for their expertise. This may include teachers, ministers, older women in the community that could provide the cultural experience, grocery store owners, librarians, and other community leaders. Each of these participants could lend valuable input on understanding the community situation that contributed to the critical health needs and help frame the research and programmatic initiatives.
Margaret Bogle’s contributions to the wellbeing and economic development of the state of Arkansas are multifaceted and significant. Her pioneering work in nutrition science and healthcare policy have impacted the state and nation in several areas.
It cannot be overstated the impact on health care that nutrition science has had on overall healthcare in our state and the country. Pioneers like Margaret Bogle pushing and insisting that Dietitians be recognized and added to the healthcare team played a significant role in making this happen. Many of these early initiatives were replicated in other states.
Her ability to recognize the opportunity of WIC certification for Dietitians allowing moms to receive those benefits before leaving the hospital to go back to rural areas and the impact that had on the healthy start for their babies was significant.
Her advocacy for research at the national level to address the needs of rural people will continue to make an impact. Her involvement with initiatives such as the Delta Obesity Prevention Project demonstrates her dedication to addressing critical health issues, especially in underserved communities. Congress appropriated the money and funded this new initiative that would establish research appropriate for the situation within USDA.
Bogle's extensive involvement in community service and advocacy reflects her commitment to addressing societal challenges, including poverty, food insecurity, and healthcare disparities. Her leadership in various civic and community organizations underscores her dedication to improving the well-being of individuals and communities, through USDA and research in the area. Her legacy continues to inspire and uplift communities across the state, leaving a lasting impact on future generations.
The dedication of Margaret to provide leadership for many changes in a field dominated by women and to increase the standing of these professionals in their field of study and practice cannot be overlooked in terms of economic value to those included.
