IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access)

Diversity and Inclusion Now Titled "IDEA" (for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) 
The Academy has revised its title for "Diversity and Inclusion" to "IDEA" (for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) as follows:

• IDEA Committee instead of Diversity and Inclusion Committee,
• IDEA Leaders Program instead of Diversity Leaders Program,
• IDEA Mini Grant instead of Diversity and Inclusion Mini Grant,
• IDEA Promotion Grant instead of Diversity and Inclusion Promotion Grant, 
• IDEA Award instead of Diversity and Inclusion Award, and
• IDEA Liaisons instead of Diversity and Inclusion Liaisons  .

Also, the IDEA Promotion Grant (up to $10,000 funding) is now available on an annual basis instead of only every 2 years; the annual deadline will be March 1.

 Request a career presentation

Please follow this link to complete a form to request a virtual presentation for high school students, college students with undecided majors and college students with dietetics/nutrition majors.

Academy Diversity and Inclusion Professional Resource Hub

The Academy website now offers a Diversity and Inclusion Professional Resource Hub which features a video by the D&I Committee Chair and the Academy’s Strategic Plan D&I Impact Goals.  The Hub provides spotlights of D&I projects and initiatives of DPGs, MIGs, Affiliates, and the Academy.  The Hub also provides resources to assist nutrition and dietetics practitioners in meeting the needs of all clients and colleagues with the goal of improving equity and access for all.  By visiting the Hub, one can read the latest updates from organizational units at the Academy, meet the D&I Committee, learn about D&I grants and scholarships, view the Academy’s Strategic Plan, review a list of D&I definitions, and share stories. Diversity and Inclusivity (eatrightpro.org)

The Pledge of Professional Civility

To help foster camaraderie among our professional community and encourage constructive engagement among peers, Food & Nutrition Magazine^® — published by the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — has developed a voluntary Pledge of Professional Civility, guiding principles and related resources:

The Pledge of Professional Civility

• I pledge to demonstrate respect to my colleagues and all others.
• I pledge to support constructive dialogue and positive engagement.
• I pledge to discourage the public belittling of my colleagues, even when we do not agree.
• I pledge to model professional conduct in all my public communications and actions.

Guiding Principles

The basic tenets that any professional — irrespective of expertise, area of practice or personal values — should adopt as principles of conduct in public forums, including social media, are to 1) demonstrate respect, 2) encourage constructive dialogue, 3) discourage public belittling of colleagues, and 4) model professionalism.  Read more about each of these guiding principles, take the Pledge of Professional Civility yourself, and see who else in the Academy has taken the Pledge! 
Pledge of Professional Civility - Food & Nutrition Magazine (foodandnutrition.org)

SCAND Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan  

SCAND has made tremendous strides towards accomplishing most of the objectives on its Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2020-2021.  However, much work remains to be done.  Moving forward, Diversity and Inclusion will be a Focus Area on the SCAND Strategic Plan overall, like the Academy has done with its revised Strategic Plan.  More details will follow as the SCAND Board approves new objectives/goals concerning the Focus Area of Diversity and Inclusion for its revised Strategic Plan.

Articles

05/19/2021 – Academy Letter to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky
Academy Letter to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky (eatrightpro.org)
The Academy shares the strategic goal of achieving health equity and offers its support in the CDC’s work, as a food and nutrition professional organization and as essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

04/28/2021 – Congressional Leaderships Urged to Provide Funding for Diversity in Dietetics and Nutrition
Congressional Leaderships Urged to Provide Funding for Diversity in Dietetics and Nutrition (eatrightpro.org)
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (Illinois) and 10 members of Congress have urged House Appropriations Committee leadership to include $310 million in funding to address racial disparities in nutrition.

04/08/2021 – Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation Creates Advancing Diversity in Dietetics Scholarship
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation Creates Advancing Diversity in Dietetics Scholarship (eatrightpro.org)
The Academy Foundation is accepting applications for a new Advancing Diversity in Dietetics Scholarship that will provide $25,000 each to two aspiring RDNs of diverse backgrounds and cultures.

03/21/2021 – Academy Foundation Awards First Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship to Purdue Faculty Member
Academy Foundation Awards First Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship to Purdue Faculty Member (eatrightpro.org)
The Foundation has awarded its first Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship to registered dietitian nutritionist Marie AK Allsopp, a clinical assistant professor in nutrition science at Purdue University.

03/18/2021 – Statement on Recent Violence Against the Asian Community
Statement on Recent Violence Against the Asian Community (eatrightpro.org)
The Academy stands firmly with its members and all Americans of Asian descent, and in strong opposition to recent increases in threats, harassment and violence against members of the Asian community in the United States.

02/01/2021 – D&I Committee Update: Goals and Grants
Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update: Goals and Grants (eatrightpro.org)
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee has drafted overarching goals for a D&I action plan that is based on qualitatively analyzed member and external stakeholder feedback.

12/15/2020 – Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update: Ongoing Work and Grant Assistance
Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update Ongoing Work and Grant Assistance (eatrightpro.org)
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee thanks all Academy members and external stakeholders for the valuable insights they have provided to assist the committee.

12/18/2020 – Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update: Consultation and Collaboration
Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update: Consultation and Collaboration (eatrightpro.org)
The D&I Committee has been in consultation and collaboration with numerous Academy groups and organizational units, encouraging them to view projects such as webinars, videos, pamphlets and educational sessions through a diversity and inclusion lens.

12/17/2020 – Creating Lasting Change – Message from the Academy President
Creating Lasting Change – Message from the Academy President (eatrightpro.org)
The Academy president addresses recent news stories, blog postings and videos concerning the Academy and issues of diversity and inclusion.

12/16/2020 – Diversity and Inclusion: Update from the Academy President and Chief Executive Officer
Diversity and Inclusion: Update from the Academy President and Chief Executive Officer (eatrightpro.org)
The Academy’s Board of Directors and its organizational units are working to strengthen and address Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility, creating real, sustained change.

10/01/2020 - Academy Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update:  Listening Sessions Completed
Ten diversity and inclusion-focused listening sessions were completed on September 30, 2020, which included up to 25 participants per session.

08/26/2020 - Academy Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update:  Listening Sessions to Share Your Perspectives
The committee wants to continue the conversation via a series of listening sessions scheduled for the weeks of September 21 and 28.

07/23/2020 - Academy Member Update: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
The Academy continues to advance efforts organization-wide to address diversity, equity and inclusion.  The Board of Directors empowered the Diversity and Inclusion Committee to make recommendations to support this important work. 

07/22/2020 - From the Academy Diversity & Inclusion Committee: An Update
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been working intensively to listen to members and has adjusted its plan of work accordingly.

06/29/2020 - Academy Diversity and Inclusion Update
In the past weeks, the Academy has heard from and reached out to individuals and groups who have expressed concerns, made recommendations and offered potential solutions regarding systemic racism.

06/05/2020 - Improving Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: A Message from the Academy's President and CEO
Systemic racism is not acceptable. Our commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity has never been more important and urgent.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Diversity and Inclusion Statement

“The Academy encourages diversity and inclusion by striving to recognize, respect and include differences in ability, age, creed, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, size, and socioeconomic characteristics in the nutrition and dietetics profession.” *

* Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Diversity Awards and Grants.  https://www.eatrightpro.org/leadership/honors-and-awards/diversity-awards-and-grants.

 SCAND's Statement on Diversity, June 4, 2020

Diversity Leaders Program:  The Diversity Leaders Program supports Active members from underrepresented groups within the dietetics profession. In accordance with the Academy’s strategic vision and mission, the Diversity Leaders Program is a two-year program that supports Active members from underrepresented groups within the dietetics profession as defined by the Academy. Four Leaders are selected every two years on odd years.  Goals of the Diversity Leaders Program are to:

• Provide education, access and service opportunities to individuals from underrepresented groups in the dietetics community as defined by the Academy.
• Encourage more diverse dietetics professionals to assume leadership roles.
• Provide leaders with a mentor and group coaching to enhance their career development, expand their professional network and to provide support in their work and community.
• Develop a more diverse leadership pool.
• Contribute to programs and resources in support of the Diversity Strategic Plan during and beyond the program.

Diversity Liaison:  Diversity Liaisons serve at the grassroots level and are charged with conducting diversity outreach events. Diversity Liaisons must be current Academy members in good standing from any membership category except for Student or International Student. Diversity Liaisons can apply for mini-grants in support of their diversity outreach efforts. In addition, Diversity Liaison serve as a leadership ladder to the Diversity Leaders Program. Affiliates, dietetics practice groups (DPGs) and member interest groups (MIGs) are encouraged to select a Diversity Liaison.

eMentoring:  Those interested in serving as a mentor, or being mentored in the area of diversity, may select Diversity Initiatives or Cultural Competence as areas of interest in the Academy’s eMentoring program.  

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month!

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month planned by the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).  This ODEP creates an annual theme, with "America's Recovery: Powered by Inclusion" for 2021 to reflect the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ODEP website offers free resources including posters in English and Spanish, sample articles, a press release, and social media content.