Noteworthy Practices
Each quarter, ACEND highlights one or more ACEND-accredited programs for their noteworthy practices. Noteworthy Practice Submissions are due April 14, 2023, July 14, 2023 and October 20, 2023.
Noteworthy practices in the following topic areas are requested.
- Activities, practices, and/or processes that promote DEI including Holistic Admissions Process/Procedure; Recruitment and admission practices that encourage diversity; Retention practices and program activities that support students/interns with diverse needs; and Training activities for faculty and/or preceptors related to DEI
- Preceptor Recruitment and Recognition
- Interprofessional Education
- Curriculum i.e. simulation, review process, integrated experience
- Program Improvement i.e. data collection, technology, pass rate
Program directors or other individuals associated with an ACEND-accredited program are asked to complete the submission form and an abstract of their noteworthy practice and email it to ACEND for review. Submissions are reviewed by an ACEND Board review team and selected entries will be posted. Download a submission form to complete and email with supporting documentation with the subject line: Noteworthy Practice Submission.
2022 DEI Noteworthy Practice Honorees
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Dietetic Internship
Jillian Redgate MS, RD
Noteworthy Practice Category: Educational Activities in the Classroom and/or During Supervised Practice
The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) Dietetic Internship has implemented a 26-week multimedia (podcasts, articles, videos, and interactive web content) Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (DEB) curriculum for the 2021-2022 academic year. The objectives are to improve interns' cultural competence and humility, increase awareness of implicit biases, and understand how increased competence, humility and awareness of biases can improve patient care. The curriculum aims to teach interns about the principle in the 2018 Code of Ethics for the Nutrition and Dietetics Profession: "Social responsibility for local, regional, national, and global nutrition and well-being (Justice)" and meets the ACEND competencies CRDN 2.11, CRDN 2.14, CRDN 3.5 and CRDN 3.10.
Volunteers from diverse backgrounds reviewed the material and provided helpful recommendations. Topics include privilege, anti-racism, health at every size, race-based medicine, the effects of chronic stress and trauma on health, microaggressions, mental health stigma, ableism, intersectionality, DEB at work and in dietetics, and numerous weeks exploring specific groups including Black, Latinx, AAHNPI, Indigenous, Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQ+ people.
The interns completed 3 Harvard Implicit Bias Tests prior to beginning the curriculum and anonymously recorded their scores. They were surveyed after the first 6 weeks with positive results, indicating they felt the curriculum was improving their cultural humility, competency, and helping to improve their care of patients/clients. They will repeat Harvard Implicit Bias Test results after week 26, ideally with improved scores. We plan to update the curriculum annually to ensure the material remains fresh and relevant.
Cedar Crest College Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD)
Shelley L. DePinto, DHSc, MS, RDN, LDN
Noteworthy Practice Category: Educational Activities in the Classroom and/or During Supervised Practice
The DPD director, nutrition students, Parkhurst Dining and the Diversity and Inclusion Council of Cedar Crest College collaborated to promote DEI and wellness among the campus community. Senior nutrition students in the DPD presented culturally sensitive wellness presentations to the campus community on April 5 and 6, 2022, that showcased nutrient-dense, low-cost, cultural foods.
The presentations focused on under-consumed food groups and how a wide array of recipes and dishes from diverse cultures could increase the consumption of those under-consumed food groups. The presentations were followed by a recipe tasting on April 25, 2022, outside of the cafeteria over lunch.
The food samples featured the under-consumed food groups and represented recipes from various cultures around the globe. Parkhurst Dining prepared the food samples, and an IDEA grant from the Cedar Crest College Diversity and Inclusion Council funded the project.
Objectives:
- Expand campus participation in activities that combine inclusivity, cultural humility and cultural appreciation with nutrition and health.
- Increase consumption of under-consumed food groups among the campus population.
Feedback regarding the presentations was positive, and there was a respectable turnout for the food sampling with representation from diverse campus groups and students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The optional post-sampling survey showed that 100% of respondents enjoyed the foods they sampled. In addition, 91% of survey respondents reported that they plan to incorporate more of these food groups/subgroups into their diet based on the foods they sampled. Many participants requested the recipes, which were available in electronic format.
The project was integrated into the curriculum and met ACEND competencies KRDN 2.1, 2.6, and 2.7. The students were responsible for developing and implementing professional presentations incorporating cultural humility, respect for cultural differences, and inclusivity as part of the Nutrition Counseling course. In addition, the project increased student focus on how social inequity impacts health disparities.
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