Student Corner – Introduction by Isabel Vasquez, La Salle Dietetic Intern and PAND Student Board Member
As the student board member of PAND, one of my goals for my term is to increase the connection between dietetics students and other PAND members. This new section is dedicated to sharing the work of dietetics students across the state. Each month, it will feature a student nutrition organization from a different college or university in Pennsylvania. The student leaders of these organizations will contribute submissions elaborating on their organization’s recent efforts. This is a platform for students to share their work with PAND and for PAND to learn about the wonderful work being done by Pennsylvania’s dietetics students. I hope you will enjoy reading about the remarkable work students are doing around the state!
November 2018 – Student Corner Feature
The Graduate Student Dietetic Association (gSDA) at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
The Graduate Student Dietetic Association (gSDA) is a group of graduate nutrition and post-baccalaureate students at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. We meet monthly to discuss current topics in the profession, host guest speakers that are registered dietitians in various sectors, organize fundraisers, and plan and implement nutrition outreach and educational events in our community. Here’s a brief overview of our ongoing projects:
Over the summer, gSDA members started an herb garden in our open-air building to promote sustainability. The plants growing include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, mint, parsley, carrots, kale, and Swiss chard. The harvest is used for school events, weekly educational food demonstrations for senior citizens, and will be included as part of the curriculum for Food Science and Functional Nutrition classes. Vermicomposting (worm composting) is also used to reduce waste!
The Veteran’s Day Health Fair is another event that gSDA is participating in. One of our members is volunteering with the Wounded Warriors and is creating a health fair catered to veterans. The event will include food demonstrations and educational lectures on hypertension and sodium control, diabetes management, nutrition and exercise, portion control, and navigating food labels.
Members are also teaming up with Student Support Services on campus to provide lectures to underclassmen on proper nutrition. We have partnered with Sodexo to create tours of Market Central to highlight healthy eating choices, and how to make the most of dining dollars.
