A NHS Forth Valley Dietitian has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2017 for services to Dietetics and Public Health.

Morag MacKellar, who is NHS Forth Valley’s Allied Health Professions (AHP) Manager for Children’s Services, has a long and distinguished career spanning more than 40 years.

After qualifying as a dietitian in 1975, Morag worked in England for a few years before moving to Forth Valley in 1979.  She has held a wide range of roles across the health board area where she has worked as the Area Dietitian and lead for primary care and community dietetic services. Morag, who is passionate about health improvement, also played a key role in developing NHS Forth Valley’s Food Policy, the first of its kind in Scotland.  She has also held a number of national roles and is currently chair of Nutrition and Diet Resource (UK), a nutrition information charity.

Morag, who lives in Doune, has worked in many locations across Forth Valley including the former Bellsdyke Hospital, Royal Scottish National Hospital and Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary. She is currently based at Stirling Community Hospital where she has a key role in co-ordinating a wide range of services and support for children across Forth Valley.

Morag said: “I am honoured and humbled to have been awarded the OBE by her Majesty, which came as a real surprise. I am very proud to be a dietitian and believe this honour recognises not only my own work but that of the many dietitians and other professionals I have worked with over the years.”

Sian O’Shea, Chair of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), said: “We are absolutely delighted that Morag has been deservedly recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours for her enormous contribution to dietetics and wider public health. She is a huge respected member of the dietetic profession and we are very proud of her achievement.”

“It was particularly appropriate that Morag should receive this honour during our annual Dietitians Week celebrations. She is an inspiration to others and a perfect example of the expertise we have within our profession.”