Diversity in Nutrition and Dietetics

Resources Related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity in Dietetics and Nutrition Training, Research, and Practice

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.

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 Discussion Board 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.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles and Abstracts

Title	Authors
Need for Data on Physical Disabilities among Nutrition and Dietetics Professionals	Baxter SD, Williams T, Cochran N
Enhancing Diversity and the Role of Individuals with Disabilities in the Dietetics Profession	Baxter SD, Gordon B, Cochran N
Building a Brighter Tomorrow: Diversity, Mentoring, and the Future of Dietetics	Bergman EA
Promoting Diversity within the Dietetics Profession through a Peer Mentorship Program	Besnilian A, Goldenberg A, Plunkett SW
Strategies and Recommendations to Increase Diversity in Dietetics	Burt KG, Delgado K, Chen M, Paul R
Persistence in Nutrition Education and Credentialing among Low-Income Minority Students: A Qualitative Exploratory Study	Burt KG, Delgado K, O'Hara J, Gissen J, Stopler M
Inclusion is an Action Word	DeBiasse M, Burt KG
Letter to the Editor of AND	DeBiasse M, Burt KG
African-American Students' Perceptions of Their Majors, Future Professions, and the Dietetics Major and Profession: A Qualitative Analysis	Felton TM, Nickols-Richardson SM, Serrano E, Hosig KW
Building our future: A summary of the ADA Diversity Mentoring Project	Fitz PA, Mitchell BE
Minority recruitment and retention in dietetics: Issues and interventions	Greenwald HP, Davis RA
Preparing Dietetics Practitioners to Effectively Serve the Hispanic Population	Heiss CJ, Rengers B, Fajardo-Lira C, Henley SM, Bizeau M, Gillette CD
Retaining Hispanic Dietetic Undergraduate Students through Mentoring and Professional Development	Olivares L, Burns-Whitmore B, Kessler L
Diversity in Dietetics: Why Does it Matter? [thesis]	Taylor RA
Courage of the Over- and Underrepresented	Rodriguez, JC
Program Promotes Diversity, Increases Interdisciplinary Skills	Sovyanhadi M, Newborn J
The Balancing Act of Diversity Initiatives	Stein K
The Educational Pipeline and Diversity in Dietetics	Stein K
Minority interns' experiences during their dietetics education and their recommendations for increasing diversity in dietetics: Findings from structured interviews	Suarez VV, Shanklin CW
Perceptions of Non-university Affiliated Dietetic Internship Program Directors Regarding Education Requirements to Obtain a Master's Degree as an Entry-level Dietitian	Sullivan A, Heuberger RA
Diversity in Dietetics Matters: Experiences of Minority Female Registered Dietitians in their Route to Practice [dissertation]	Warren JL
Strategies for Addressing the Internship Shortage and Lack of Ethnic Diversity in Dietetics	White JH, Beto JA
"Hearing the Voices": African American Nutrition Educators Speak about Racism in Dietetics	White J
Barriers to and Facilitators of Dietetics Education among Students of Diverse Backgrounds: Results of a Survey	Wynn CL, Raj S, Tyus F, Greer YD, Batheja RK, Rizwana Z, Hand RK