Amy Baumann Sapsford, ’81, turned a spark of interest in nutrition at EKU into a pioneering career in neonatal dietetics, global service and lifelong philanthropy that continues to improve the lives of children.
In neonatal intensive care units, some of the smallest patients face the biggest odds. For Amy Baumann Sapsford, ’81, helping those fragile newborns survive became a calling that would shape her career as a registered dietitian.
Amy, from Fort Thomas, Kentucky, enrolled at EKU without a major in mind. That all changed after she took a nutrition class that sparked a deep interest in the science of how food and health intersect. This decision led to her pioneering efforts in designing specialized nutrition guidelines for critically ill infants in neonatal intensive care units, work that helped improve survival and long-term outcomes.
Her passion to promote life-changing health programs also prompted Sapsford and her husband, Simon, to fund two dietetics scholarships at EKU and to cover the building costs for a preschool in rural South Africa that provides proper nutrition along with education.
While at EKU, Amy embraced the university’s emphasis on service and leadership. She joined Lambda Sigma and other honor societies, drawn to their shared mission of leadership, fellowship, scholarship and service, values that would continue to guide her long after graduation.
Amy’s post-graduation internship at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, shifted her focus toward pediatric care. While working in a neonatal intensive care unit, she developed specialized nutrition care plans for high-risk infants along with ways to deliver the nutrients to newborns who were unable to nurse or take a bottle.
In 1985, Amy partnered with other neonatal nutrition colleagues in Ohio to write the first definitive manual on neonatal nutrition care for high-risk infants. The manual she first co-wrote has now been updated and reprinted several times.
“Even today, there are few courses on neonatal nutrition because it’s such a specialized field,” said Amy. “But I used my baseline knowledge from college and internship and applied it to newborns. I got most of my experience through reading, conferences and networking.”
Since retiring in 2021, from Dayton Children’s and Cincinnati Children’s Hospitals, Amy has applied her expertise with the Gerber Foundation. She reviews research proposals and recommends funding those she believes might best enhance the quality of life for children from birth to age 3 in the areas of nutrition, care and development.
EKU recognized Amy’s extensive accomplishments during its 2025 Homecoming when she was awarded the Professional Achievement Award. It’s given to those who have made significant contributions in their careers, showing lasting impact, strong leadership and respect from peers.
Amy and Simon are also giving back. In 2022, they established a scholarship for a senior student planning to become a registered dietitian nutritionist, and they’ve added a second scholarship for a junior dietetics student that is renewable for their final year.
The Sapsfords, who live in Campbell County, have three adult children. As 2025 approached, marking the 40th anniversary of their infant son Dean’s death from sudden infant death syndrome, they searched for a way to honor him. They’d heard about a Build The Future-led mission in South Africa that constructed preschools in rural areas. After checking it out for themselves and finding it the perfect fit, they funded preschool #6, Dean’s School, which was completed in May 2025.
“There are two classrooms to prepare the students for elementary school, a kitchen, playground, garden and fruit trees,” said Amy. “The students get two snacks and a nutritious lunch each day, so they’re feeding the body as well as the mind.”
Dean’s School is the only preschool with a medical clinic next to it. Amy’s dream is to involve EKU students in the clinic and preschool, along with others preparing for careers in early childhood, education and various medical fields.
“After we are gone, we hope the lives we’re touching now will change the lives of others for the better, and that will continue forward,” Amy says.
Her career and commitment to helping others highlight the lasting impact of an EKU education. EKU’s Food and Nutrition program continues to prepare students to address health and nutrition needs across Kentucky and beyond, from healthcare and public health to research, food service and community nutrition.
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