Dietetic Internship Newsletter Issue XVII, Fall 2023

Welcome New Junior Dietetic Interns, September 2023

This fall, we welcome our incoming class of junior interns!

Junior Dietetic Interns (from left to right); Top row: Hannah Stevens, Josh Golder, Darcy MacLean, Kara Murphy, Jilleon Farrell. Bottom row: Kayla Raymond, Emalee Harrington, Jennifer Spain, Chesley Ferris, Agnes Prosser

Letter from the Director

Hello preceptors, faculty, interns, and alumni, and welcome to the 2023 edition of the UMaine Dietetic Internship Newsletter! I would like to thank our preceptors and site coordinators for another great year of supervised practice experience for our interns. This past year has brought us together again through events such as the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spring Conference and our first in-person pinning ceremony since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our newsletter is filled with pictures of these wonderful occasions.

Our congratulations to our finishing interns in 2022/2023. They include Amelia Sullivan, Sarah Griffiths, Erica Magnuson, Lily Brickman, Sarah Loring, Ashley Reynolds, Danielle Breunig, Maddie Giordano, and Patty Neel. These interns represented the UMaine Dietetic Internship superbly. We are so proud of their accomplishments!

This past year, we have also brought new preceptors and sites into the UMaine Dietetic Internship family. A warm thanks to Bowdoin College and Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital as they welcome interns into their organizations. Throughout our beautiful state, we see so many examples of our generous preceptors giving of their time to mentor and shape a new generation of dietetics professionals. Witnessing the dedication of our preceptors is one of the most fulfilling parts of this job.

As we look forward to our annual Site Coordinator/Preceptor meeting in the spring, we will hopefully be able to offer an in-person as well as a virtual option. Julie Milan, the Assistant Director of the Program and myself will be busy planning this event. Further details to come, but we look forward to seeing all of you and hope that you will be able to join us.

Finally, I wish you all a great end of your summer. Thank you for your continued support of the University of Maine Dietetic Internship Program. As always, feel free to reach out to myself or my colleague Julie Milan with any questions. We look forward to another great year of working with all of you!

Semi-Annual Pinning Ceremony

In December 2022 and July 2023, UMaine’s graduating interns were awarded the RDN pin and a certificate of completion at the Semi-Annual Pinning Ceremony. A tradition that began in 2019, the ceremony, marks graduates’ entrance into the dietetics profession.

Ashley Reynolds, Sarah Loring, Sarah Griffiths, Maddie Giordano, and Amelia Sullivan took part in the ceremony in person at the University of Maine in July 2023. Family, friends, and faculty gathered for the celebration, which concluded with hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

Interns (from left to right); Amelia Sullivan, Sarah Loring, Sarah Griffiths, Maddie Giordano, and Ashley Reynolds

Danielle Breunig, Erica Magnuson, Lily Brickman, and Patty Neel completed their internship in December 2022 and celebrated virtually via Zoom with family, friends, faculty and preceptors. Congratulations, and thank you to all of our preceptors and faculty who support our interns!

Interns (from left to right); Lily Brickman, Erika Magnuson, Danielle Breunig, and Patty Neel

Interns in the Field

Jordan Hess – Food Service Management

Jordan Hess, during his food service management rotation at MaineGeneral Medical Center.

During his food service management rotation at MaineGeneral Medical Center, Jordan Hess developed and prepared a new menu item, Chana Masala, which included analyzing the recipe for its nutritional content. He cooked and served the item for the hospital cafeteria and implemented an evaluation of the dish for consumer acceptance. Jordan completed this project under the supervision of preceptor and Food Service Director, Shelley Goraj, MS, RD, LD.

Read more about interns in the field….

UMaine Graduate Students and Dietetic Interns Showcase their Research in Sweden

a group photo of four women — Emma Watras, Leigh Neptune, Caitlyn Winn and Kayla Parsons at the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) conference in Uppsala, Sweden.

This summer, Kayla Parsons, Leigh Neptune, Emma Watras, and Caitlyn Winn attended the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) conference in Uppsala, Sweden, to showcase their research. Their projects focus primarily on nutrition education and eating decisions. Cait’s and Emma’s research was a small part of data that will be used for their Master’s thesis projects, and Leigh’s and Kayla’s are part of their doctoral research. Leigh Neptune (pictured at left) presented orally, “Community Based Participatory Research Methodologies are an Effective way to Create Relevant Programming to Support Physical and Mental Health in Perinatal Individuals”. Kayla, Cait and Emma presented their research in poster format.

Emma Watras standing in front of her poster presentation — Emma Watras presented a poster titled: “Cooking Self-Efficacy and Nutrition Knowledge Predicts Diet Quality in College Students”

Cat Winn stands in front of her poster presentation — Caitlyn Winn presented a poster titled: “Perceived Stress, Diet Quality, and Weight Satisfaction Predict Perceived Health in College Students”

Kayla Parsons stands in front of her presentation poster. — Kayla Parsons presented a poster titled: “The Relationship Between Intuitive Eating and Dining Out Frequency in Undergraduate Students in the United States”

GLOW (Guiding Lifemakers on Wellness) – Leigh Neptune, PhD Student at UMaine

My research project is called GLOW (Guiding Lifemakers on Wellness). The goal of this research is to develop and pilot a web-based intervention to help support the physical and mental health of rural, low-income, pregnant and postpartum individuals living in Maine. Throughout 2022, our team worked together to create an online resource that will cater to the unique needs of our target population, and we plan to pilot the program later this year.

I chose this area of study because maternal and reproductive health have always been areas of interest to me. While I’m not yet a parent myself, so many people in my life are new parents and I have seen a glimpse of how difficult this transition can be. My greatest hope is to create something that will help people live healthier, more fulfilling lives, while also working toward my own professional goals, and I feel I’ve been able to do that with this research.

The WellNurse Master Chef Workshop — Kayla Parson, PhD Student at UMaine

Kayla Parsons, MS, RDN, LD PhD Student at UMaine

I aim to develop and test the feasibility of a college-based culinary workshop which incorporates nutrition education, mindful eating, and body appreciation. My research is a part of the UMaine’s School of Nursing’s WellNurse Interdisciplinary project. The WellNurse project is a longitudinal study which aims to reduce burnout and improve resilience among UMaine’s nursing community. The WellNurse project has developed and adopted several interventions for participants that promote mindfulness training, physical activity, peer tutoring and healthful eating habits. For a quick glimpse of the entire project, check out this video!

Prior to starting my PhD, I was naturally drawn towards the concept of intuitive eating. Once I gained the opportunity to collaborate with the WellNurse team, in addition to completing a mindfulness-based stress reduction course, and now, in the midst of completing a mindful eating teacher certification course; this interest has further evolved into the very similar concept of mindful eating. Mindful eating is the practice of non-judgmental awareness of all internal and external experiences during the act of eating. I’m a proponent of mindful eating because it’s rooted in non-judgement and self-compassion, and it’s an accessible practice that has been shown to improve maladaptive eating behaviors.

Public Policy Update from Kayla Parsons

Kayla Parsons (pictured right) and Sue Sullivan (not pictured) presented the Public Policy Leadership award to Representative Michele Meyer (pictured left) at the Maine State House in April 2023.

Maine Academy of the Nutrition and Dietetics (MAND), our state affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, contains several subcommittees, one of which is the Public Policy Panel (PPP). Maine’s PPP has several functions, including advancing the Academy’s policy priority areas and providing members with distinctive leadership opportunities. Through this among other initiatives, we aim to increase member advocacy across the state of Maine.

Maine’s PPP has been busy in the past year, providing members with unique opportunities in shaping Maine’s dietetics’ profession. The PPP engaged in the rulemaking process to update dietetic licensure rules to reflect current language from the Academy in addition to other modifications. The PPP consulted with the Academy’s trained staff in preparing suggestions, all of which were discussed with the MAND board members prior to submission. These suggestions will be reviewed by Maine’s dietetic licensure board, once all board positions are filled. We are excited to see this process continue to unfold and the positive impact it will have on Maine’s RDNs.

In addition, the PPP also worked diligently in crafting a modified version of the annual legislative event. The PPP acknowledges the importance of advocating for healthy school meals for all, and thus wanted to provide a spotlight for one the strongest childhood nutrition advocates in Maine, Jeanne Reilly. Reilly was recently awarded the Outstanding Nutrition and Dietetics Technician, Registered Award for her dedication in advocating for school nutrition. The PPP will be virtually interviewing Jeanne Reilly to discuss her impressive work and thoughts regarding school nutrition in Maine.

Coinciding with the legislative event, the PPP annually chooses a recipient for the Public Policy Leadership Award. This award is intended to recognize exceptional legislators who have consistently supported nutrition policy and health of the people of Maine. Representative Michele Meyer has exemplified this definition. Between being a registered nurse, a prime sponsor of the “Resolve, to Reduce MaineCare Spending Through Targeted Nutrition Interventions”, and being the House Chair on the Committee of Health and Human Services, it’s clear that Representative Meyer deserves this year’s award. Susan Sullivan, MAND president, and Kayla Parsons, the Public Policy Coordinator, both presented Representative Meyer with an engraved wooden ladle at the state capital in April.

These are just a few of the highlights that the team has diligently focused on this year. We welcome all students, RDNs, DTRs, and anyone interested in advocacy to reach out to Kayla.L.parsons@maine.edu to learn more about the opportunities the MAND’s Public Policy Panel can provide.

Congratulations to Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (MAND) Conference Awardees from The University of Maine!

: Jennifer Spann, Outstanding Dietetic Student: Undergraduate

: Kayla Parsons, Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year

: Amelia Sullivan Outstanding Dietetic Student

: Dr. Jade MacNamara Outstanding Dietitian of the Year

Alumni News

(listed according to program start date)

Class of 2010

Heidi (England) Morin celebrates 5 years in 2023 with Custom Data Processing, Inc; she works here as Product Owner maintaining and enhancing an electronic health record system that serves 22 State and Tribal WIC Agencies. Heidi and her partner Eli welcomed their first child, Nolan, in 2022 and they will welcome their second child, Joanna, in late 2023. They live in West Gardiner, Maine.

Letter from Dr. Adrienne White, Past UMaine DI Director

Hello, Interns, past and present. I directed the dietetic internship program from 1997-2017. It was a highlight of my career at UMaine. I loved experiencing students become professionals. It is great to see the success of the Internship Program under Mona Therrien-Genest’s leadership. Now, on Facebook and Instagram, I get the chance to know about the lives of many of you as you make career choices, marry, have children and grandchildren, and travel locally, around the states and the world. Thank you for sharing your life through social media. I find retirement full and rewarding. I travel, mostly in the states, but I have also been to Kenya with research colleagues to mentor university faculty in research and publishing. I spend time with friends, reading, and working in my flower garden. I am in a Bible study that meets by Zoom for people in the states and other parts of the world. This year, the study is on finding hope, purpose, and meaning. Many of you may remember the picture of the little bird in my lab with the saying about God’s care for the birds and how much more He cares for you. I no longer have just a picture, but I see birds in the backyard feeding and splashing in their birdbath. I would love to hear from you.

Adrienne White
aawhite515@gmail.com