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Celebrating students graduating from MPH, MS, and RDN training in 2024

Students pose for a cohort photo after the graduate program 2024 year-end celebration ceremony.

Congratulations to graduate students in the Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health (FSNH) program completing the Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science (MS) in 2024. Many of these students also completed the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics (GCPD), which will allow them to sit for the registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) exam in the coming weeks.

Students, with their invited guests, were celebrated in a ceremony on Aug. 16 at an event held at the University of Washington wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House.

Adam Drewnowski, professor of epidemiology and former program director delivered the keynote address during the ceremony.

Photo of Adam Drewnowski delivering keynote speech at 2024 year-end celebration
Adam Drewnowski delivering the keynote speech.

Other faculty members participating in the ceremony included FSNH Interim Director and GCPD Associate Director Michelle Averill;  School of Public Health Associate Dean for Education Elizabeth Kirk; GCPD Director and MPH-Public Health Nutrition Program Director Anne Lund; and FSNH Graduate Program Coordinator Cristen L. Harris.

Pia Chaparro, Michelle Averill, Elizabeth Kirk, Cristen Harris, Anne Lund
Faculty members (left to right): Pia Chaparro, Michelle Averill, Elizabeth Kirk, Cristen Harris, Anne Lund.

“These grads are awesome. They created strong bonds as a cohort and showed impressive grit along the way. It is clear they are going to challenge the status quo and shake things up as they move forward in their careers. I am super proud of all of them, and excited to see what comes next,” said Averill.

Students Mary Fudge and Paola Maria Bregni Ibarra gave personal tributes to each member of their cohort, highlighting what they appreciated most about each person.

Mary Fudge and Paola Maria Bregni Ibarra addressing their cohort during the ceremony.

Lund added, “This was such a supportive cohort. They really had each others’ backs. From the very beginning, they helped each other navigate the ups and downs of graduate student life. As interns, they continued to demonstrate team work. Their future colleagues will be lucky to have such great co-workers.”

During the ceremony, students recognized their preceptors, thanking them for their mentorship, and also thanked faculty and staff for their support.

Students present flowers to faculty members and program staff.

Congratulations again to all of the students on their hard work and accomplishments! 

MPH Candidates

Allison Burkhalter* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Provider-Based Needs Assessment for Lactation Support in Washington State 
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Robyn Burnside* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: King County Local Food Initiative 101: Improving Local Food Access in King County 
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Mary Fudge* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Mapping Commissary Kitchen Spaces in King County 
  • Thesis: Drivers Influencing Animal Wellbeing and Environmental Stewardship Decision-Making Among U.S. Animal Producers: A Qualitative Analysis 

Khang Ho* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Designing and Delivering Weight-Inclusive Care Training for Medical Residents at Seattle Children’s Hospital 
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Kara Ikeda* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Mealtime Matters: Integrating Farm-To-Preschool Produce into Family Mealtimes
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Christina Lin* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Promoting Accessibility in WA SNAP-Ed Contract Funding for Tribal Organizations 
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Cecilia Msogoya 

  • MPH Practicum: Secondary Growth Analysis and Dissemination of Findings from the Mama Aweza Trial 
  • Thesis: A Scoping Review of Consumer Perceptions of Meat Sustainability: A Focus on Animal Welfare and Environmental Impact 

Kana Ogaki* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: The Pre-Survey Data Analysis of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Field to Family Produce Incentive Program in Ventura County, California 
  • Thesis: Accessibility to WIC-Authorized Ethnic Food Stores in Washington State: Implications for Serving the Needs of Immigrant WIC-Eligible Populations 

Lauren Perkins 

  • MPH Practicum: Nutrition Education Project Development and Evaluation in Rural Vietnam 
  • Thesis: A Qualitative Exploration of Food Tourism as a Lever for Food Systems Transformation 

Kimberly Siu 

  • MPH Practicum: Using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) to Assess Use of Local Parks in King County 
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Stephanie Turner* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Identifying Community Contamination Concerns in the Puget Creek Watershed
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Irene Yoon* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Creation of Culturally Tailored and Bilingual Diabetes Nutrition Calendars for EthnoMed 
  • Thesis:  Exploring the Future of Sustainable Foods through Nova Classification of Upcycled Certified Products

MS Candidates 

Aimee Allen* 

  • MNT Concentration: Chrononutrition and Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Type 2 Diabetes: A Case Study 
  • Thesis: The Association Between Eating Competence and Daily Hassles and Uplifts of Eating Location in Undergraduate University Students 

Hannah Baillie 

  • Thesis: Exploring the Relationship between Dietary Supplement Use and Serum Biomarkers Among Postmenopausal Women in a Controlled Feeding Study 

Paola Maria Bregni Ibarra* 

  • MNT Concentration: Nutrient Drug Interaction Probability Scale (NDIPS): An External Validation
  • Thesis: Nutrient Drug Interaction Probability Scale (NDIPS): A Creation and Validation Process 

Jocelyn Naide* 

  • MNT Concentration: Pediatric Medical Nutrition Therapy for Comorbid Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders 
  • Thesis: Determinants of Indigenous Diet Quality and Their Association With Inflammation and Biological Age in the NHLBI Strong Heart Family Study 

Alejandro Oropeza Velasquez* 

  • MNT Concentration: Improving Nutrition Discharge Education for Caregivers of Adolescents with Eating Disorders at Seattle Children’s Hospital 
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best  Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

Casey Spellman* 

  • MNT Concentration: Medical Nutrition Therapy in Post-Stroke Neurocritical Care: A Case Study
  • Capstone: Recommendations for Seattle Fresh Bucks: Produce Prescription Program Best Practices and Benefit Level Adjustments 

*Designates students who completed the GCPD (registered dietitian nutritionist training program) 

August 19, 2024