Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access

The DNS Diversity and Inclusion (DI) Committee officially launched in 2020 in an effort to increase the awareness and competency of the DNS leadership team and members as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion.  The committee is actively working to create and deploy leader and member training as well as conduct a thorough analysis of DNS operations to identify and address implicit bias, barriers to member participation, and opportunities for growth and improvement.  Doing so will support the overarching mission of DNS as well as the Academy. 

Resources

- DNS Leadership Training slide deck (5/15/2021)

- Understanding Privlidge video 

Committee Members 
 Christina M. Rollins, MBA, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, CNSC (CHAIR)
      Christina M. Rollins, MBA, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSC, FAND is a past chair of DNS, currently serves as a commissioner with the Commission on Dietetic Registration and was recently appointed as the DNS DI Liaison (2021-2023).   She is passionate about creating a fair and equitable working environment where nutrition practitioners from all backgrounds can thrive and build the brand of the registered dietitian nutritionist as the nutrition expert.
 
Britta Brown, MS, RD, LD, CNSC
    Britta Brown, MS, RD, LD, CNSC, is the Chair of DNS starting in June 2021.  She's excited to be a part of the newly created DI Committee so she  can learn more about her own personal biases and help make the operations of DNS more welcoming and inclusive to all current and future members.

Haley Hubbard
    Haley Hubbard is a masters level dietetics student at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.  She also serves on the DNS leadership team as the student coordinator.  Haley is excited to be a member of the DI committee so she can assist DNS in making the organization more inclusive and learn from collaborating with other team members.
 
Ashley Peña Elsbernd, RD, LD, CNSC, CCTD
    Ashley Pena Elsbernd, RD, LD, CNSC, CCTD, is a transplant dietitian located in Dallas, Texas. She is part of the Diversitiy, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Cohort of the Academy's 2020-2021 Leadership Institute. As a volunteer on the DI Committee, she hopes to strategize with other committee members to help promote diversity within DNS and within the dietetics profession.
 
Cassie Brown, RDN
  Cassie Brown, RDN, is a clinical dietitian in Dallas, Texas who has an interest in nutrition support and research. She is continuously learning in order to provide better care for her patients, and she is hoping to help make dietetics a more inclusive space for everyone!
 
Sonia Govil, MS, RD, CNSC 
    Sonia Govil MS, RD, CNSC, is  a clinical dietitian at VS Medical Center in Detroit, MI.  Areas of expertise include adult and neonatal nutrition support.  She also serves as a board member for the Southeast Michigan Dietetic Association (SEMDA) since 2008, dietitian director with the Michigan Chapter of ASPEN (MSPEN) since 2014 and an item writer with the Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR).
 
Kaitlin Feldmann, RD, LDN
 

Kaitlin Feldmann, RD, LDN is an acute care registered dietitian currently working at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL. She is excited to focus on promoting diversity and inclusion within the nutrition and dietetics profession through involvement in this new committee. 

Prasanna Navarasam, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSC
 


Prasanna Navarasam, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSC, is a Massachusetts-based acute care registered dietitian currently working at Morrison Healthcare.  Her recent accomplishments include completing the DNS Advanced Practice Residency in nutrition support at The Cleveland Clinic. She is particularly passionate about nutrition in critical care setting and accurate diagnosis and documentation of malnutrition. She is also passionate about diversity initiatives and giving back to the community.


Leijie Qi 
  Leijie Qi is a third-year student at UT Austin pursuing her bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. She likes different cultures, thinks inclusion is important and is excited to be part of the committee to work on the projects with other members and learn more from them!

Updated 1/31/21
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