September Membership Meeting: Rural Appalachian Foodways from Then to Now: Using Traditional Foods to Enhance Dietetic Practice

Please join us on Thursday, September 22nd from 3-4:30pm EST as we host:

Dr. Melissa Gutschall, PhD, RDN, LDN, FAND and Dr. Kyle Thompson, DCN, RDN, LDN, CNSC from Appalachian State University.

Dr. Gutschall Bio:

Dr. Gutschall is a Professor in Nutrition and Foods and Director of Graduate Programs in Nutrition at Appalachian State University. She has taught nutrition for 15 years at the undergraduate and graduate levels, served as the Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics for 5 years, published a companion textbook for use with the introductory nutrition course, and serves as a Faculty Internship Coordinator for senior dietetics students. Dr. Gutschall received the 2012 Inaugural College of Health Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2016 Beaver College of Health Sciences Research Award, and the 2020 Cratis D. Williams Graduate School 100 Scholars Award. She was selected as the Outstanding Dietetics Educator for 2014 by the North Carolina Dietetics Association, for the Chancellor’s Inaugural Class of the Academic Leadership Development Program in 2015, and for the UNC-BRIDGES Academic Leadership Program for Women in 2021. Dr. Gutschall has been a registered dietitian for 20 years, and she continues to practice clinically on an interdisciplinary team providing care for children with special needs in the Appalachian Region. She has served with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library and Simulation Task Force, and currently serves on the NCAND board; she has earned the status of Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her current research agenda is aimed at using her experience to bridge the gap between food insecurity and chronic illness in the rural population of Watauga County through a community-centered health initiative funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of NC, in collaboration with the Hunger and Health Coalition and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.

Dr. Thomopson Bio:

Dr. Thompson is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and a Board Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC). Before she began teaching in the Department of Nutrition and Health Care Management at Appalachian State University (ASU), she worked in a critical access hospital. Her clinical experiences provided an impetus for her interest in rural health care, with a focus on the ways rurality impacts the nutrition status of rural patients.

Dr. Thompson’s passion for rural health care grew when she relocated to the beautiful Appalachian Mountains and began participating in rural health research. During her career at ASU, her accomplishments have included the following:

• Director of Appalachian State University’s Graduate Programs in Public Health Nutrition (Certificate and MS in Nutrition)
• Participation in research on providing effective nutrition care to rural populations
• Participation in research focused on public health nutrition, including food pantry capabilities and operations
• Peer-reviewed publications and other professional writing, including associate editorship of the 2020 text, Public Health Nutrition (Springer Publishers)
• Presentation of rural-focused research at national conferences
• Teaching in the Department of Nutrition and Healthcare Management, including graduate courses in rural health, life cycle nutrition, and public health nutrition education

Dr. Thompson has strong professional interests in both public health nutrition and clinical nutrition.

Dr. Thompson enjoys facilitating learning opportunities for students within the graduate nutrition program. She is passionate about mentoring and guiding emerging nutrition professionals. It is her hope that all of her students will gain an appreciation of the complexities involved in delivering health care to rural populations, and that some of her students will find purpose and passion in building careers in rural health settings.

Title: “Rural Appalachian Foodways from Then to Now: Using Traditional Foods to Enhance Dietetic Practice”

This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom.