VIVIAN HANSON MEEHAN

Vivian Hanson Meehan, R.N., D.Sc. serves as President and Executive Director of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), and she continues to lead ANAD through the extensive programs she created. During her tenure, and currently, thousands of lay people and health professionals have volunteered to work to change the lives of victims of eating disorders and to prevent anorexia nervosa and related illnesses.

Meehan has contributed more than 25,000 volunteer hours. Last year, other volunteers contributed more than 40,000 volunteer hours to ANAD. She began volunteering in March of 1976. At that time, few people or health professionals were aware of anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Because of that, she created ANAD; and it is the oldest nonprofit education and support organization in America dedicated to providing caring services for victims of eating disorders and their families.

Though Meehan works to effect change, she has been recognized because of her dedication to this cause. She led the fight to develop extensive education and prevention programs that have impacted the lives of millions of people. Today, there is a plethora of community based and national programs that she has instituted. Some of the free services Meehan founded are ANAD Support Groups that are in the United States and 14 foreign countries. There is a National Counsel Hotline, National Referral List, Early Detection, Consumer Advocacy, Education and Prevention Presentation, and Presentations to State and Federal Congresses and Health and Education Departments. In addition, Meehan and ANAD fight Insurance Discrimination. Each of the programs she has developed was in response to the unmet human needs of more than eight million people suffering from life-destructive illnesses.

Meehan sought to provide desperately needed programs and services. Her work has evolved into an ongoing system of recruiting and mobilizing volunteers to work with fulfilling the purposes of ANAD. For more information about ANAD, please check out the website at www.anad.org