Milestone achieved: Dietetics students secure postgraduate internships

Dietetics students in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences have secured post-graduate supervised practice programs, an important step toward becoming credentialed as a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).

Including the spring and fall application cycles, 43 students were selected by dietetic internship programs across the country.

“I could not be prouder of our students for their hard work and dedication throughout the internship match cycle,” said Emma Laing, clinical professor and director of the undergraduate dietetics program within the FACS department of nutritional sciences. “It is an arduous process, and I am extremely proud of their dedication toward achieving this milestone that will launch their careers. The faculty and staff in our program and preceptors in our community have done an outstanding job preparing our students to become successful and compassionate future RDNs.”

Applying to supervised practice programs is highly competitive and is a similar process to other allied health professional training programs like physician assistant, dental and medical schools.

UGA students seeking to become an RDN must first complete STEM coursework in a nationally-accredited program – the FACS dietetics major is a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics – then earn a minimum of a master’s degree and finish approximately 1,000 hours of hands-on training in an accredited program.

Students start their applications during their junior year and intentionally build on their skills to become competitive applicants.

Of the dietetics students who were accepted into DIs this year, 27 are enrolled in the Double Dawgs pathway, where they earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in nutritional sciences in five years or less.

Four of the students accepted are enrolled in the FACS M.S. + DPD program, requiring them to balance meeting dietetics requirements on top of their graduate coursework.

After successfully completing their graduate degree and supervised practice, students then have to pass the national comprehensive Commission on Dietetic Registration RDN exam before seeking licensure to practice in their state.

“Our students are fortunate to have Dr. Laing leading our Didactic Program in Dietetics,” said Connie Rogers, department head and Bill and June Flatt Professor of Foods and Nutrition. “Her dedication to the students’ success, combined with our dedicated faculty and staff who train and mentor our students, has elevated our program to new heights.”

Dietetics student Gaby Contreras, who secured a placement with Emory University Hospital, credited Laing for preparing her for the arduous process.

“Dr. Laing’s support truly made this all possible,” she said. “From her engaging and educational classes to her guidance throughout the application process, she continuously built our confidence and made us feel capable of achieving our goals. Now that I am completing my dietetic internship, I can see firsthand just how well she prepared us for this next step, and I am incredibly grateful to have had her as a professor and to have been a part of UGA’s amazing dietetics program.”

Below is a list of students who were accepted into supervised practice programs this year, shared with permission.

Devin Beavers, Diet to Lifestyle (Georgia) 

Sarah Becker, Virginia Tech (Virginia) 

Betsy Blanchard, Lipscomb (Tennessee) 

Kailey Breed, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia) 

Mieke Brink, University of New Mexico (New Mexico) 

Maggie Bullington, Morrison Healthcare (Florida) 

Megan Byer, Morrison Healthcare (Illinois) 

Emma Centanni, Loyola University Chicago (Illinois) 

Anna Connelly, Wellness Workdays (Georgia) 

Gaby Contreras, Emory University Hospital (Georgia) 

Meera Datta, Hunter College (New York) 

Virgina DeLuca, Tampa VA (Florida) 

Tara Goff, Emory University Hospital (Georgia) 

Lillian Garner, WIC/GA Department of Public Health (Georgia) 

Lily Grant, Morrison Healthcare (North Carolina) 

Juliet Guthrie, KADDI (Georgia) 

Nancy Halloran, Wellness Workdays (Georgia) 

Estelle Haugen, Grand Canyon University (Arizona) 

Abby Haukapp, Emory University Hospital (Georgia) 

Kaylee Hinson, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia) 

Grace Hood, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia) 

Caitlyn Johansson, National Healthcare Corporation (Tennessee) 

Erin Jones, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia) 

Jayla Justice, Morrison Healthcare (South Carolina) 

Brandon Keliher, Illinois State University (Illinois) 

Sarah Knowles, Tampa VA (Florida) 

Grace Madu, Houston VA (Texas) 

Victoria May, Mayo Clinic Rochester (New York) 

Camden Merrell, Virginia Tech (Virginia) 

Gracie O’Neal, University of Georgia (Georgia) 

Olivia O'Shields, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia) 

Molly Piller, Boston University Sargent College (Massachusetts) 

Sara Purba, Sodexo (Illinois) 

Kelly Quinn, Tampa VA (Florida) 

Laurel Renfroe, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia) 

Erin Richards, Emory University Hospital (Georgia) 

Megan Shoupe, Emory University Hospital (Georgia) 

Joshua Siger, Cornell University (New York) 

Abby Slomba, UNC Chapel Hill (North Carolina) 

Shelby Tadin, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia) 

Carrie Tweedell, Morrison Healthcare (North Carolina) 

Anna Vrolijk, Morrison Healthcare (South Carolina) 

Maya Wright, Morrison Healthcare (Georgia)