Diversity in Nutrition and Dietetics
Resources Related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity in Dietetics and Nutrition Training, Research, and Practice
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Diversity and Inclusion Resources Curated by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
The Academy has a list of diversity and inclusion resources linking to Member Interest Group pages, articles, awards and grants, research articles, publications, recorded sessions, videos, and webinars.
Academy Foundation Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship
The Academy’s Foundation is supporting a new opportunity for a Diversity and Inclusion Fellow. We have been working closely with many member leaders and Academy and Foundation committees, councils and groups on the development of this opportunity. The Nutrition and Dietetics Educators and Preceptors group (NDEP) has committed to financially supporting this opportunity and we thank them for their generosity.
The Foundation’s Fellowship program deploys dynamic registered dietitian nutritionists in the U.S. and globally to address the greatest food and nutrition challenges throughout the world. This Fellowship will continue in the spirit of the program and fund an RDN member of the Academy to lead a two-year project titled “Prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion in Nutrition and Dietetics: Overcoming Obstacles to RDN Recruitment, Education and Advancement.”
With a focus on education and leadership opportunities within the profession, this new Fellow will build on the important work of the D&I Committee to build a framework to identify and more fully understand barriers to success for diverse students. To achieve the program’s goals, the Fellow will begin by developing an advisory group of eight to 12 experts to provide guidance and mentorship. This program includes:
- Identifying barriers that diverse students face in becoming RDNs
- Identifying obstacles for diverse RDNs in advancing in the profession
- Creating a framework with potential solutions to support diverse students and RDNs
- Enhancing pre-professional and continuing education for RDNs and students in the area of cultural competency to support the United States’ diverse population.
The full program description can be found here.
Free recorded session from FNCE® 2019:
Combatting Unconscious Bias and Preventing Microaggressions: A Professional Duty
The Academy established its Diversity and Inclusion Committee "to enhance the recruitment, retention and inclusion of, and leadership development for, individuals from underrepresented groups as identified by the Academy." Since its inception, the Committee has provided support and funding for professionals to promote diversity and inclusion via various programs and projects. Despite its efforts, the number of reporting RDNs who identify as non-white remains under 10 percent. These cultural and ethnic disparities can result in social and ethical challenges in professional settings. This session will provide the instruments needed to internalize coping strategies for reducing the frequency of microaggressions in their surroundings. Attendees will also gain the ability to recognize opportunities to aid their organizations and programs in lessening occurrences of unconscious and implicit bias. Speakers will explain how a commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique can help participants discover how their own beliefs impact their competence and even their ethical decision-making.
Diversify Dietetics
Diversify Dietetics provides a community for students, professionals, and educators dedicated to increasing ethnic and racial diversity in the nutrition and dietetics profession.
Academy Member Interest Groups (MIGs)
Join an MIG that focuses on areas other than practice of dietetics or geographic location. As divisions of the national organization, MIGs reflect the many characteristics of the Academy's membership and the public it serves. Some MIGs include Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), Cultures of Gender and Age (COGA), Indians in Nutrition and Dietetics (IND), Latinos and Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition (LAHIDAN), and the National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition (NOBIDAN).
Free Webinar Series
Enhancing Diversity in the Dietetics Profession: Stories from RD/RDNs with Disabilities
Research Collaborations
Utilize the Research DPG Electronic Mailing List (EML) to enquire about potential research collaborations within the RDPG.
Diversify Dietetics Webinar
Shelly DeBiasse, PhD, RDN, the RDPG Diversity Liaison and Kate Burt, PhD, RD were interviewed by Diversify Dietetics for their #InclusiveDietetics Facebook group and study.
Diversity and Inclusion in Dietetics: Educators as Allies and Advocates Webinar
Shelly DeBiasse, PhD, RDN, the RDPG Diversity Liaison and Kate Burt, PhD, RD presented a webinar for the Nutrition and Dietetics Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The webinar is available here and webinar materials were posted to the NDEP website.