Nutrition Heroes

When Jennifer Kerner, RDN, LD, was in college pursuing a chemistry degree, her advisor suggested the dietetics program to combine her passions for science and food. Now, as a clinical dietitian at University Hospitals Case

After a few years on the job, it takes a special case to surprise many health-care workers. For Raffaele DiMatteo, RDN, CDN, a clinical dietitian at New York’s Bellevue Hospital, that surprise came in 2014 when his

In the Boston area, Phyll Dondis Ribakoff, RD, LDN, is active in the fight against hunger and food insecurity. Working with dietetic interns at Sodexo, she teaches how to reach food-insecure families through nutrition and budgeting education, and inspires them to participate in

When Angel Planells, MS, RDN, CD, decided to become a dietitian, he felt he was plunging into a "woman's world." He was, after all, one of three men in both his didactic and master's programs.

Over the course of a few years, Kristina DeMuth, RD, traveled to Haiti many times. During each trip, she learned something new about the country and its people — their history, culture and diet, and

In 1999, Alice J. Lenihan, MPH, RD, LDN, responded to the North Carolina Dietetic Association's call for Special Olympics World Summer Games volunteers. Since then, the organization has been a big part of her life:

Through her private practice, Renee Simpson, RDN, counsels predominantly African American women because, "with an overwhelming four out of five African American women being obese, I found this to be the niche I needed to

When SeAnne Safaii was in high school, a coach gave her poor nutrition information, which ultimately hurt her athletic performance. That experience, she says, eventually led to a career in dietetics. "That bad experience was