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Courtney G. Riedel, MS, RDN, LDN
I was honored to attend the Nutrition and Dietetics Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC this past July thanks to a stipend from WM DPG. It was incredibly energizing to be with passionate dietitians from across the country who choose to take time off work or away from other obligations in order to discuss legislation related to our field with members of Congress. Of the legislation discussed, The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act is especially important for our DPG as it would give the public better access to dietitians for weight management services.
While the meetings on Capitol Hill were the focus of the summit, the opportunity to network with other dietitians was also important. The day prior to the summit, I was able to connect with fellow Pennsylvania dietitian Tracy Oliver, our current WM DPG Chair. Through Tracy, I met another member of our WM DPG leadership, Alexandra Thompson. I was encouraged to hear their excitement for weight management as we talked through specific roles and challenges over dinner. As a newer dietitian, I appreciated learning what they most enjoy about their jobs and ways in which I can implement similar ideas and energy in my current role.
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Nicole Reed, RDN, LDN
This year I had the great pleasure of attending the 2019 Policy Advocacy Summit. As we all do, I spend most of the year in my local community working among other local dietitians. Being at a table, surrounded by a table of policy-driven dietitians from my state, was incredibly inspiring and motivating. This year, we even gave a warm welcome to a dietitian relocating to our state. The topic of obesity is of great importance to me as a dietitian in working within a pediatric obesity program. I had the opportunity to talk to some of my state's representatives face-to-face and bring awareness to food and nutrition-related issues to their attention.
The summit is an incredible opportunity to connect and network with a vast number of dietitians with a variety of specialties but all with the common goal of promoting policy in food and nutrition.
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