On this month’s edition of “Conversations with Dairy Checkoff,” we’re joined by Sandy Sellers, Health and Wellness Senior Manager with United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM).
MAT: Sandy, thanks for joining us. I want to talk about this partnership that UDIM has with Wayne State University’s dietetics program. It’s happening again this year to break down roadblocks experienced in communities of color. Can you tell me a bit more about these roadblocks?
Absolutely. Registered dietitians are experts in science-based nutrition education. Not only are we required to complete an undergraduate degree, but you also have to complete a year-long unpaid internship. Now, you’re also required to have a master’s degree.
A lot of school, a lot of education, obviously a lot of money goes into investing in that career. But currently, only 92 percent of registered dietitians in the United States are women. Less than 20 percent of those identify as a minority, and less than 3 percent identify as Black or African American.
So obviously, that doesn’t represent the landscape of Michigan or the country, so we’re trying to break down some of those financial barriers for people to increase diversity within the field of dietetics.
How is UDIM working with WSU to support these future dieticians?
We have awarded, currently, three scholarships to up-and-coming registered dieticians who are in their internship and master’s program. We are covering all of the expenses for their internships and their master’s degree. They also learn about the dairy industry and what dairy farmers are doing in Michigan so that when they enter their career they can be advocates on behalf of Michigan’s dairy farmers.
This is your second year partnering with Wayne State University. What do you think the future of the program looks like?
We would love to be able to expand the scholarship program, if possible, to other dietetic internship programs and benefit communities and people across the state.
How do you engage the future professionals in your line of work to help them promote dairy consumption?
Not only do we educate these scholarship recipients and then other future registered dietitians on dairy and dairy farming, so again, they can share that with the people that they are going to work with in their future so they become advocates on our behalf, we also offer dairy farm tours so they can see firsthand what’s happening on the dairy farm. The scholarship recipients last year attended the Michigan Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conference, so they were able to experience that interaction with consumers and get a little bit more experience with other registered dietitians.
Thanks to Sandy Sellers, Health and Wellness Senior Manager with United Dairy Industry of Michigan, for talking with us in this edition of “Conversations with Dairy Checkoff.” Hear the story in the media player below, and learn more about UDIM at milkmeansmore.org.
