"I started the traineeship in the fall semester of my first year in the Public Health Nutrition Coordinated Program. I was originally interested in this opportunity because of my previous experience working as a WIC Public Health Nutritionist, and I wanted to see how my past experiences could fit into existing maternal and child health projects. Through this traineeship, I've been able to work on projects that are tailored to my interests and experiences. This traineeship has been an amazing opportunity to work with a motivated, supportive team, develop my public health knowledge and skills, and network with other professionals in the field. 

Outside of the traineeship, I am a student member of the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN), volunteer as a Nutrition Clinician for the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, and am a Dietary Interviewer for the Nutrition Coordination Center, where I collect dietary data for various research projects. As a student of the Coordinated Program, my favorite internship so far has been my community practicum that I completed last summer with Culinary and Wellness Services at Minneapolis Public Schools. With them, I planted and maintained a community vegetable garden at their Nutrition Center in North Minneapolis, developed school gardening resources and curriculum for teachers to implement within their classrooms, and assisted with nutrition education and cooking demonstrations within MPS classrooms."

"During my time on the traineeship, I have had the opportunity to work on a scoping review with Dr. Hendel (Katie) and a former Public Health Nutrition student. We looked at the impact of parent weight loss practices on child health and were lucky enough to be able to present our findings at the annual meeting of the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN) this past June. I am now working as a teaching assistant in a Maternal, Infant, and Child Health course where I am helping others learn the content while also growing my own knowledge in the area!

Outside of the traineeship, I volunteer at PNC and serve on the board as the nutrition role coordinator and I am a member of ASPHN. 

So far my favorite internship experience has been working with Twin Cities Orthopedics and the Health Quotient team to educate first responders on proper fueling and recovery methods for individuals in a high stress environment such as theirs. "

"My work on the traineeship has mainly been focused on our WIC POPS project, which has provided me with experience in conducting focus groups, analyzing qualitative data, and developing research administration skills. I have been able to learn more about the process of conducting public health research from the planning and data collection stages through analysis. This year I will be working as a teaching assistant, which will allow me to improve my skills in collaborating with students and translating public health content into interactive lessons and discussions. The traineeship has helped me gain confidence in my research skills and better understand how research can inform policies and programs.  

Outside of the traineeship, I am a Student Board Representative for the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN) and the Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (MAND). I am also a Division Training Committee (DTC) Public Health Nutrition Student Representative and a Nutrition Clinician at the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic. I am involved in research within the Public Health Nutrition program, and I traveled to Ecuador last year as part of a PHN research project. My favorite dietetic internship rotation thus far has been with the sports dietitians at the University of Minnesota. I worked with mens and womens basketball and enjoyed working with student athletes and getting to use my clinical and food service skills."

Jasmine Vu

"I am a 2nd year MPH Nutrition student on the Coordinated Program track, and I have a graduate minor in Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration. I have previous experience working with a Food as Medicine pilot program in Cleveland, OH, overseeing food boxes to SNAP-eligible pregnant women. I am currently working on the WIC POPs project, creating a nutrition education course for the WIC paraprofessional staff across the nation!"

Sydney Pansing

"I am from southern Wisconsin but moved to Minnesota to receive my bachelors degree in Nutrition. Since then, I have moved to Washington state to explore the North Cascades and other surrounding national parks. While I was there, I got to know my new community working as a nutrition educator for WIC. After my time at WIC, where I learned more about the public health lens on healthcare and food accessibility, I decided to continue my education through the Public Health Nutrition Masters program, where I now have the opportunity to continue to apply my WIC experience as a part of the maternal and child health WIC POPS team!"

Abby Walter

"I am originally from West Bend, Wisconsin, and I completed my undergraduate degree in Nutrition here at the University of Minnesota. I am a first-year student in the MPH Nutrition Coordinated Program, and this is my first semester on the traineeship. During my undergraduate experience, I worked on public health-related research projects including a scoping review of household-level food waste prevention strategies. I am currently working with Program Coordinator, Lee Vogler, to update the traineeship website, and I am excited to dive deeper into the other opportunities the traineeship has to offer! I initially became interested in maternal and child health while working in early childhood education. I look forward to diving deeper into the complexities of maternal and child health in order to support the nutritional well-being of these populations. 

Outside of the traineeship, I am a member of the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN), and I am training as a volunteer Nutrition Clinician at the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic. I am currently completing my first dietetic internship rotation in Food Assistance at Mackenthun's Fine Foods, a family-owned grocery chain."