Performing Department
Family & Consumer Sciences
Non Technical Summary
PROJECT SUMMARYThe US Commission on Dietetic Registration identifies that African Americans represent less than 3% of United States registered dietitians. The Bureau of Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook states that employment for dietitians is expected to rise 14% from 2016 to 2026. In response to these opportunities, Alabama A&M University (AAMU), proposes to initiate this Teaching Project to recruit, retain, train, and mentor minority students for the dietetics profession. Though dietetics is a rewarding path, underrepresentation of minorities in this discipline is a glaring deficiency. Dietitians serve and play their part in reducing the incidence of diet-related, non-communicable diseases, which often result in increased mortality and morbidity incidences in underserved communities. Therefore, AAMU is proposing to: 1) recruit and retain five undergraduate minority students in AAMU dietetics program with competitive academic performance in STEM disciplines; 2) cultivate leadership through training in nutrition research and practical experience and; 3) develop a mentoring program for dietetics students. Five undergraduate minority students will be recruited, trained, and given the opportunity to participate in research, experiential and virtual learning, and professional development activities. In addition, students will be matched with mentors who will engage them in career-related activities. Participating scholars who maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher will be awarded a yearly scholarship and stipends for two summer projects. This project aspires to strengthen the dietetics program at AAMU by preparing well-trained and certified students who will effect positive change in health and wellness.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
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Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Major GoalThe ultimate goal ofthis project is to strengthen the dietetics program at Alabama A&M by preparing well-trained, research-focused, and certified minority students in nutrition who will effect change in the population's health.ObjectivesObjective 1. Recruit and retain five incoming minority students for undergraduate degrees in FCS with a concentration in general dietetics.Objective 2. Cultivate student leaders through experiential learning and training in nutrition-related research.Objective 3. Develop a mentoring program that will provide guidance, support, and exposure for dietetics students throughout their educational training at AAMU.
Project Methods
Recruitment strategies: The project team will:Contact high schools in the Huntsville and surrounding areas to organize recruitment visits to each campus. Visit selected high schools to showcase dietetics in a STEM field leading to a successful and fulfilling career.Work closely with teachers and guidance counselors who will be contacted and informed of financial availability. Contact prospective students to encourage, guide, and evaluate past academic achievements and build a personal relationship that will facilitate the timely completion of a college application.Students' selection will be done by:Identifying minority students who are transitioning frommiddleschool to high school,with the help of guidance counselors and through recruitment activities. Developinga five-day-long summer program for five selected students to engage them in fun, practical, content-centered nutrition activities. Students will receive a stipend of $150.00 each to participate in this five-day summer program.Organizingon-campus recruitment activities for the five high school students and their parents.Assessing students' interest in dietetics through survey responses following recruitment andsummer program activities. Retention StrategiesFormulate an "Academic Success Club (ASC)" where students will be able to meet with their peers and department faculty twice a month to discuss academic issues and current trends in nutrition.A seminar series will be a mandatory activity for all students in the BRIDGE program and will include presentations by students, guest lecturers, webinars and other related activities.Organizing a "Fitness and Wellness Day" once a semester. This will be done to promote healthy living and will include activities such as "Zumba on the Quad", "Yoga on the Quad" and "Healthy Food Day on the Quad". Provide an annual scholarship of $4,000.00 for three years, awarded to the five students who will be recruited for the BRIDGE program.Make available $1,600.00 stipend for a Summer Bridge Learning Experience to the five students who will be recruited into the BRIDGE dietetics program.Offer a $2,000.00 stipend to each of the BRIDGE participant to engage in a summer nutrition research.Recruited and retained BRIDGE student will be given an annual membership fee of $58.00 to join the Academy of Nutrition and Dieteticsorganization.Summer Bridge: Experiential Learning in Nutrition for incoming undergraduatesThe five BRIDGE participants will be placed in an eight (8) weeks summer program.Each student will receive a stipend of $1,600. This summer bridge session will 1) Familiarize students with various equipment and instruments housed in the area of Nutrition & Dietetics including; the Lunar iDXA Dual-energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Body Composition System which can measure the condition of the body and provide in-depth information for therapeutic decision making and; the Inbody 770 Body Composition Analyzer; 2) Guide students through various science projects; 3) Demonstrate techniques in formulating surveys/questionnaires and data preparation, data coding and descriptive statistics so that students can showcase their summer science project activities through poster presentations at the end of the summer.?Summer Nutrition Research for ContinuingBRIDGEparticipants Program participants will be enrolled in a one-credit hour summer class where they will be trained in using qualitative methodologies to examine the factors associated with obesity in Madison County, Alabama. The project team plans to train BRIDGE program participants to 1) examine the demographics in Madison County and surrounding areas, and assess the prevalence of obesity and related health issues; 2) identify relationship between dietary choices and their effect on obesity and related health issues; 3) create meaningful interventions and recommendations to the obesity issues observed; 4) collect and analyze data and assist in the preparation of manuscripts for publication.Training using virtual simulationUsing the Diabetes Pediatric Online pilot simulation tool, students will experience the dietetics virtual working environment; develop clinical and decision-making skills; utilize the steps in nutrition care; gain experience with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Evidence Analysis Library that can provide evidence-based recommendations; gain real-life experience in Health Informatics Infrastructure where students can enter and manage patient information; and gain experience in the open certified Electronic Medical Records/electronic health record.Field ExperienceStudents will gain practical experience at various locations such as Crestwood Medical Center, Tut Fann V.A. Home and DaVita Kidney Care. Students will be trained in 1) clinical nutrition where they will be engaged in the nutrition care process learning how to carry out nutrition assessment, nutrition diagnosis, nutrition intervention, and nutrition monitoring/evaluation; 2) foodservice, learning the safety and sanitation processes, recipe analysis, management processes (budgeting, staffing, planning, and organizing), and analysis of body weight; 3) the community nutrition aspect of the dietetic field, to understand the implementation of nutrition policies and programs, and gain experience in assessing the nutritional needs and resources available within communities.Develop mentoring program designed to provide guidance, support and exposure fordietetics students throughout their educational training at AAMU.The project team will assist in developing 1)Mentee application formfor the mentoring program; 2)Mentee background formwhere students will list their goals and aspirations; 3) mentee/Mentor contractincluding; 1) the shared goals and expectations of both parties; 2) time mentor will spend with a mentee and; 3) the frequency of mentee/mentor contact; 4)Mentee/Mentor contact spreadsheetwhere all names and contact information of the mentors and mentees will be kept for easy access by the project team; 5)Proper documentationso that all activities of the program can be documented for effective program evaluation; 6)Evaluation formsincluding program evaluation form, mentor program evaluation form, mentees program evaluation form. Participating students in the mentoring program will be matched and assigned a peer mentor from the FCS department. Peer mentors will be juniors, seniors or graduate students who are enrolled in the dietetics program. Mentors will have face-to-face interaction with their mentees and will be accessible to offer positive advice, tutoring and other assistance as needed.Training of peer mentorsJuniors, seniors and graduate students who will serve as peer mentors in this program will undergo training by shadowing dietitians in the clinical, food service and community nutrition settings in Huntsville and the surrounding areas.The PI and CoPI on the project will conduct mentor training at the beginning of the project and will continue with monthly meetings/follow-ups through the life of the project. BRIDGE scholars will also be paired with a professional mentor who is an AAMU dietetics alumnus and/or local dietitian. BRIDGE scholars will also be engaged with faculty members in the FCS department on an open door policy basis. Faculty members will serve as mentors and meet mentees on a monthly basis and as needed throughout the school year for the life of the project and beyond.?