March 10

Wed, 03/10/2021 - 1:30pm

To celebrate National Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Day on March 10, the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (MAND) Public Policy Panel has created a series of short videos with Maine registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) working in various settings to share their professional experiences and how their work has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these interviews highlight alumni and faculty of the University of Maine undergraduate and graduate programs.

MAND works closely with UMaine students and faculty to cultivate professionalism with a focus on public policy and career advocacy. UMaine’s unique program concentration for dietetic interns includes the design, implementation and evaluation of the students’ public policy project. This year, two interns, Kayla Parsons and Leigh Neptune, worked on this project.

The videos are available online (see links below). More information about Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day is on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.

UMaine community members featured in the videos:

Kate Yerxa M.S., RDN: University of Maine Cooperative Extension Professor, alumna of UMaine graduate and undergraduate programs
Alexandria Gayton M.S., RDN: UMaine Extension, alumna of UMaine undergraduate program
Mary Emerson M.S., RDN, LD, SNS: school nutrition director, alumna of UMaine graduate and undergraduate programs
Leslie Ouellette M.S., RDN: private practice Oowner, alumna of UMaine graduate and undergraduate programs
Mona Therrien DCN, RD, LD: internship director and human nutrition faculty in the School of Food and Agriculture
Eileen Molloy RDN/LD, CDE: undergraduate program coordinator and human nutrition faculty in the School of Food and Agriculture, alumna of UMaine undergraduate program
Kay Mullin RDN, CDE: Maine Medical Partners, alumna of UMaine undergraduate program

About the University of Maine:

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university. It is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and more than 75 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,741 undergraduate and graduate students who have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.