Noted researcher Dr. Paul Arciero has devoted his career to helping people get more active and eat more natural, healthier foods.

It all started in the dirt of a community garden.

“Some of my fondest childhood memories come from tending that garden with my mother,” Arciero said, recalling the hot summers harvesting in rural Connecticut. “Going there with her, tending to the earth, getting dirty – that was my introduction to healthy nourishment.”

The key themes of fitness and family continue with some of Arciero’s latest work as well. He recently developed a new app, with help from his son Nick, a developer and coder. The GenioFit app lets a person know what they should eat and when they should exercise, Arciero said. He leads exercise videos in the app, as well as guided meditations.

“GenioFit embraces all the fundamental premises and mission of the research I’ve done, the organizations I represent, and who I am,” Arciero said. “It’s imperative that we engage in lifestyle strategies that engage healthy eating and exercise. There’s a synergy that lets us derive a significantly greater benefit when the two are together.”

He has spent 25 years at Skidmore College where he is a professor of nutrition and exercise science and director of the Human Nutrition & Metabolism Laboratory.

Arciero has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific journals, but his education in the world of healthy living didn’t all come from the classroom or the laboratory.

The Saratoga County Citizens Committee for Mental Health (SCCCMH) named Judge James E. D. Doern as its 2017 Citizen of the Year. 

Judge Doern was honored at the group’s Mental Health Matters benefit at Longfellows Restaurant on May 3.

According to the mental health organization, Judge Doern’s community commitment dates to the early 1990s, beginning with his work with Rotary and continuing through the present with his dedication to a number of advocacy and human services organizations. 

As Saratoga Springs City Court Judge for 18 years, he recognized the impact of un-met mental health, addiction, housing, transportation, and employment needs on people’s ability to function happily and productively in our community.  As a result, Doern has worked tirelessly to improve the scope and collaboration of the community’s services.

In 2015, he was the force behind the establishment of a monthly gathering of human service providers, the mental health and substance abuse coalition. The purpose of this group is to identify and then rectify gaps in the continuum of care.