Zariel Grullón

RD

Saludos! Mi nombre es Zariel! I am a first gen Dominican who recently became an RD! I am 1/2 of @nomorechichos a platform shared with my sister where we make healthy fun, para todos.

We do this in two ways, first way is by educating empowering and inspiring future RDs and other allied health professionals to understand the complexities of entering the field and surviving mentally, physically and spiritually.

Additionally, by helping first time cooks become the bosses of their kitchens by sharing tips and tricks to make cooking fun, easy, nutritious and delicious.

I am passionate about these two areas of my life because I know it was an area where I struggled the most. The lack of transparency I felt on my LOONG road to becoming an RD is something I want to help dismantle. I personally feel like the more we share as providers “on the other side” the better we can prepare the future generation of health professionals. Always remembering to keep it real!

A fun fact about me. I have a dog named Tuna.

Navika Gangrade

RD

Hello! My name is Navika Gangrade. I am a registered dietitian in a PhD Candidate in Nutrition at Cornell University. My research is focused on remediating nutrition-related health disparities among minority, low-income youth through behavioral interventions. In my work, I leverage resources to allow marginalized populations to advocate and promote their own nutrition/health, in turn dissolving systems that perpetuate health inequity. I became passionate about research in this topic area through experiences that I sought out as an undergraduate Dietetics student. I cultivated these experiences since my classwork and instruction was not sufficient in describing social determinants of health or emphasizing how nutrition professionals can best serve ALL individuals. We focused on the White-centric worldview that is prominent in nutrition.

To diversity nutrition, we need more diverse instructors at the undergraduate level, as well as specific coursework dedicated to teaching social determinants of health and providing nutrition-related care to those from other cultures.

Gurneet Kaur Dhami

MSc AHN (c)

Hello All, my name is Gurneet Kaur Dhami and I am a settler of South Asian descent (Panjabi-Sikh) travelling between Kanadario (Ontario) & Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) as I complete my MSc in Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University. My thesis “Re-setting the Table: Exploring the Counter-stories of Racialized Dietitians in Canada” is the first dietetic diversity study of it’s kind to begin exploring racism in the field of dietetics in Canada. As a student and activist, I take on multidisciplinary approaches to bring people and learnings to further social justice conversation in the field of dietetics. Additionally, I currently co-managing the Diversity Dietetics- Canada Community on Facebook. Check out more that I do on www.gurneetkdhami.com and let’s chat change over collaborations!

Sandrine Staco

RD

Hello!
My name is Sandrine. I’m a registered dietitian from Montreal, Qc. I was born in Montréal but my parents are from Haiti. I recently finished my bachelor’s at the University of Montréal. Although Montréal is a very multi-cultural city, there was very little diversity in the nutrition program. I was the only black person in my class and there weren’t many other BIPOC students. I recently got in touch with some other black dietitians which has made me feel much less lonely. I hope to see more diversity amongst the future dietitians.

I now work at a school board (nutrition education), I also do online consultations and other projects as well. I’m someone who likes to have a lot of different things going on to keep me on my toes.

I think that as dietitians, it is very important to have the curiosity to want to discover foods from all around the world. It’s also our duty to respect the ethnic background of our clients/patients and be able to adapt our course of treatment depending on the person that is in front of us.

I speak many languages, check out my Instagram for nutrition content in French, English, Haitian creole and Spanish!

Karen Villella

MS, RDN, LDN

Hi there! My name is Karen Villella. I grew up in a typical Mexican household where food, family and hard work were highly valued.

In college I discovered my love for dance along with weight training. I double majored in Exercise Science and Spanish. Exercise Science taught me the importance of movement, and studying the Spanish language allowed my dramatic nature to soar! (Yes, Spanish poetry is that much more dramatic).

The study of the body during movement was fun, rewarding and fascinating. By personal involvement and education, I learned a great truth. Movement is important to life, but perhaps what is more critical is what we do multiple time every day, EAT.

So, I pursued the next level eating a master’s degree in human nutrition from Winthrop University along with the coveted title of Registered Dietitian.

As a practicing professional, I have found great success in helping individuals set small, attainable nutrition goals along with participation in physical activity.

Each client has successfully improved their lives despite medical or mental barriers. I truly am energized and enjoy the challenge of helping individuals find “what works successfully” for them.

Health is more than just the absence of disease. Health is unique to you.

Nijya Saffo

MS, RDN, LD

B.S. in Athletic Training from Bowling Green State University
M.S. in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Longevity from The University of Southern California

My specialization and interest include wellness/sports nutrition and corporate nutrition. I am also an adjunct Professor at Columbus State Community College.

As a whole Universities, Dietetics, Employers, etc. can improve on diversity and cultural competent spaces by hiring African Americans. In all my school programs and jobs I was the only African American and sometimes the only person of color. There’s no amount of training that can replace the joy of having someone who looks like you and shares the same culture. Thanks to social media I’ve met amazing dietitians from all different backgrounds and we all have the same desire to see a familiar face at school or work.

Tracy Amofa-Diatuo

BSc, MSc

Hi there.
I’m Tracy! I’m Afropean which simply means that I was born in France but my roots are Ghanaian (side-bar I lived in the U.K. for 8-9 years to study and work (for this reason I’m quite fluent in English)).

I’m a registered dietitian-nutritionist based in France.
When it came to the point of considering my career path at the end of high school, I was wondering how I could use science in a more practical way for the good of others. I happened to hear about the role of dietitian when my sister had to see one since she was practicing athletics at high level. So it was the combination of practicality and science for a health purpose that got me into this field and made me take this path. And I also love how cooking is simply chemistry! 

Combining dietetics, nutrition, food and R&D for 10 years, I decided at the end of 2019 to take a leap of faith and be self-employed.

Since I have multiple cultures, and I love what they all bring food wise, I also want others to embrace their own but in a healthier way. Hence my desire to help them learn how to eat healthier without compromising or diming their cultural food habits (yes you can eat plantains and yam and still be healthy).

Through both my studies and my work, I rarely saw a black person being a dietitian-nutritionist. Usually I’m the only one (and I bet you guys know the feeling too)! But I’m glad this didn’t stop me pursuing this path and now seeing other black dietitians excelling in this field as well.

So I’m happy to be a part of this community!

Ashley Lauren

MPH, RDN, LD, CHES

Hi! I’m Ashley, second career RD/MPH/CHES and bi-racial. I always knew there was a link between health and food but it wasn’t until I went back to school that I started to see the real problems.

In my naivety, I thought I’d learn everything about nutrition and pour into those who did not have the same access to education. Well the problem is so much bigger than education. When you get on the inside, you quickly realize no one looks like you. You hear the stories and you see the relief on patients’ faces when you’re in the room with them. BIPOC need an advocate not a lecture.

I’m still learning but right now my job is to show up and be a familiar face. I am here to let people know they have a place to go where they can feel heard and be seen. I want to be a reminder that we have allies in the system who are thinking about our needs. I’m more than just an educational bridge. I’m the eyes, ears and heart pulling my seat up to the table and speaking on behalf of anyone who ever felt like healthcare left them out.

Richelle Rada

RDN, LD, MIEP

I am Richelle Rada. I am a Filipino American dietitian wearing many hats. I am a clinical dietitian at Guam Memorial Hospital. I am an instructor at the University of Guam. And I am virtual dietitian, empowering people to eat the foods they love, reaching their health goals all while celebrating their culture!

I was born and raised in Hawai’i (on the island of O’ahu), USA and currently live on Guam. Growing up in a very culturally diverse state, I always felt safe and nurtured. The culture in Hawai’i is very welcoming, loving and open! We have a mix of Hawaiians, Portuguese, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Chuukese, Marshallese, Pohnpeian, Mexicans, and Samoans. (There is likely way more cultures that I missed.) Even on Guam (U.S. territory) the indigenous people, Chamorru people also extend their love and hospitality! Having lived in these two amazing places encourages me to embrace my culture!

While completing my undergrad at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, I remember feeling like recommendations for Americans often were not inclusive of the very diverse population. Even now, I strongly feel that nutrition recommendations are westernized and just apply to the majority. When I became an RD, I wanted to fill the void of the lack of diversity in dietetics. I wanted to let people know that they did not have to sacrifice cultural foods they enjoyed, and they could still reach their ultimate health goals!

Maggie

BSc, ’21

Hello! My name is Maggie and I’m currently in the final semester of my Nutrition Undergraduate degree at Curtin University. I’m an Australian-born Chinese (or what people like to call ABCs). I grew up with the influences from mixed cultures- i.e. both Western and Chinese cultures, where I was exposed to a variety of food experiences and learnt valuable knowledge about cultural foods and its impact on dietary habits of individuals. I believe that cultural competence and awareness should be normalised in our healthcare systems, in order to provide high quality and appropriate treatment/care to vulnerable populations.

I am excited to see how the field of Nutrition and Dietetics will look like in the future, as diversity seems to slowly come in to play.