Nutrition, Communication and Information Management Area Internship Class Day Conference

What do the Maryland WIC Program, nutrition informatics, sugar sweetened beverage research, social media, and dialog communications training all have in common? These topics were part of the University of Maryland’s Dietetic Internship 2017 Joint Class Day Conference agenda, where area dietetic interns and program directors learned various ways to enhance their communication skills and harness the power of social media and information management. In addition to exploring communications skills through the lectures, dietetic interns from Johns Hopkins, NIH, NOVA/Virginia Tech, Sodexo, UMD, UMMC, and WIC also networked and got to know one another through interactive sessions.

Joint Class Day - held at Harbor Hospital in Baltimore

The topics, while varied, helped interns know more about the Maryland state affiliate groups and hone their communication skills.  Two of the speakers are graduates of the University of Maryland Dietetic Internship who specialize in communication and information management. The interns were engaged and asked many follow-up questions. Presentation PowerPoints are available on our website. Here is a sampling of what was covered in the lectures:

• information about the Maryland EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card, which is currently being implemented for Maryland WIC recipients,
• what it takes to implement a successful program to limit sugar intake,
• the basics of nutrition informatics, and
• which are the most relevant social media platforms for RD communicators.

2017 Joint Class Day Agenda

The final speaker, Lynn Rubin from the Maryland Food Supplemental Nutrition (FSNE/ SNAP-Ed) program, led an interactive training session on dialogue learning for groups.  The interns learned practical ways to engage a group of clients and bring about positive behavior change.

Three things came together to make this Nutrition, Communication and Information Management Area Internship Class Day Conference a success: a solid agenda, compelling and knowledgeable presenters, and engaged interns. We would like to thank those who helped make this a fantastic learning experience.

UMD interns pose for a silly picture