MY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

My educational background encompasses both the area of human nutrition and exercise science. I am a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and a Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist as well as a Fitness Specialist. To become a registered dietitian I completed a bachelor's degree and didactic program (coursework) in dietetics, which is accredited by The Accreditation Council For Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. I did my didactic program in dietetics at Samford University then completed a nine month Dietetic Internship at the University of Alabama in Birmingham in the Nutrition Sciences program, with an emphasis on medical nutrition therapy. The internship included rotations at Children's Hospital (including neonatal, teen & cystic fibrosis patients), UAB Hospital (inborn errors of metabolism, gastrointestinal, oncology, burns/trauma, cardiovascular, spinal injuries, dialysis/renal, and outpatient care), Cook Springs Nursing Home, Alacare Home Health, The Jefferson County Health Department  as well as an elective rotation in public health (under the direction of Chris Reinhold, MS, RD) and maternal complications. I then sat for and passed the CDR registration exam for dietitians. As a registered dietitian/nutritionist and licensed dietitian/nutritionist we must complete continuing education units and pay registration and licensing fees in accordance with CDR and the Alabama State Board of Examiners For Nutrition and Dietetics Practice. My first degree was in the area of exercise science as a Fitness Specialist, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. My faculty advisor was Gary R. Hunter, PhD, nationally-known researcher in exercise physiology, and the use of progressive resistance training for women to affect body composition. I completed two internships while in undergraduate school -- one at the Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at Baptist Medical Center Princeton in Birmingham, Alabama (under the direction of Claudia Wilkie, RN) and one at The City of Birmingham Fitness & Training Center in Birmingham, Alabama (directed by Coach Jim Hilyer, PhD and Coordinated by James N. Gibbs, MS).