Student, alumni recognized at annual Georgia dietetics conference

A strong focus on community outreach and research attracted Siobhan Miller, Lianni Maldonado and Natalie Smith to Augusta University’s Master of Science Dietetic Internship program, and each was nominated for awards at the Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual conference, held in Atlanta earlier this year.

Miller was honored with the Outstanding Dietetic Student Award, Maldonado was named Young Dietitian of the Year at the conference and Smith was awarded with the Distinguished Service to a District.

Nicole Moore, the program director and assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the College of Allied Health Sciences, is proud of her students and the examples they are setting for the program and within the community.

“This program is going to prepare students very well for the Registered Dietitian Exam and to become entry-level dieticians,” Moore said. “We have a variety of medical facilities and experiences to be able to work with and we have a passionate dietitian community here in Augusta with lots of experience and mastery in their field. The students get to benefit from a lot of different specialties as well as plenty of hands-on experience.”

Miller, a second-year student pursuing a Master of Science in Allied Health degree with a concentration in nutrition with a dietetic internship (MS-DI), immersed herself in volunteer work in Augusta and became involved in the Augusta District Dietetic Association (ADDA), a group of local dietitians and health professionals committed to assisting and educating the Augusta community by promoting awareness of nutrition while keeping members up-to-date on legislative and professional matters.

“I was grateful that someone wanted to nominate me and is seeing the hard work I’m doing in my volunteer work,” she said. “I just feel like I have a purpose here, and I didn’t feel that in the beginning because I didn’t know anybody, but the award made me feel like I’m meant to be here.

“I was intrigued by what the food is doing,” she continued. “The first time I heard of the word ‘dietitian,’ I didn’t know what it was until I did that research project. After that, I dove into what a dietitian was, and I was really interested in it.”

Maldonado, a 2019 graduate of the program and bariatric and GI dietitian in the Center for Obesity and Metabolism at Wellstar MCG Health, came to AU eager for the opportunities in clinical nutrition, as well as the community rotations and interactions. She became heavily involved with ADDA and will be its president starting July 1.

“The honor definitely is validating for the career path I’ve chosen, but it’s motivating for me too. It makes me want to continue to do better and continue to grow, learn and reach out to the community because it doesn’t end here,” Maldonado said. “It makes me want to be better, but it is nice to know that my peers are recognizing all the things that I’m doing in the community and with my patients.”

Smith, a 2021 graduate and pediatric dietitian with the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, was exploring her options in Georgia and South Carolina after graduating from undergrad when she came across AU’s program, which she said was “the most well-rounded” coupled with the access to the medical district and its surrounding communities.

Smith appreciates the nomination and the recognition dietitians in different roles received. She will be treasurer for ADDA for the upcoming year.

“I’ll be in Augusta for the rest of my life, so it’s really nice to be able to work with the community, and then to also get recognized not just from our local community but at the state level. It’s nice to feel like I’m a part of our community and also making a difference,” Smith said.

The MS-Dietetic Internship Program is a 21-month program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The College of Allied Health Sciences program has a medical nutrition therapy (clinical) concentration that maximizes the unique variety of medical and health care facilities in the Augusta area. Students practice with medical simulators, have access to state-of-the-art equipment and train in reputable hospitals and medical centers locally and across the nation.