| Date/Time | Tuesday, October 22 at 3:00 to 4:30 pm ET |
| Webinar Title | NIFA Food and Nutrition Security Webinar Series: Addressing Critical Shortages in Nutrition Professionals through Investments in Education and Workforce Development |
| Description | Employment in food, nutrition, dietetic and medical sciences is projected to grow 6-10 percent over the next 10 years, though decreases in students qualified to fill these growing needs are reported. Societal challenges such as tackling food and nutrition insecurity and ensuring health equity require an educated and diverse workforce of knowledgeable skilled and semi-skilled professionals to help address these needs. Multiple barriers limit the number and diversity of people interested in pursuing careers in nutrition and related fields, including the high cost of education and training programs. This webinar will discuss these challenges and provide an overview of relevant NIFA funding opportunities designed to diversify and expand education and workforce development opportunities for traditional, underserved, and underrepresented communities. |
| Intended Audience | Academics, practitioners, and decision makers using research, education, extension, and innovation to advance education and workforce development in nutrition relevant fields. |
| Registration Link | https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_SB0kDUpqQr2AsTKWUoSuIw |
| Moderator | Sheila Fleischhacker, PhD, JD, RDN, National Science Liaison – Food Safety and Nutrition and NIFA Nutrition Security Team Co-Chair |
| Panelists | - Michelle Schelske-Santos, PhD, National Program Leader, Division of Community and Education, Institute of Youth, Family, and Community, NIFA
- Christian Tobias, PhD, National Program Leader, Division of Plant Systems and Production, Institute of Food Production and Sustainability
- “Steve” Shoushan Zeng, PhD, Division Director of Food Safety, Acting Division Director of Nutrition, and NIFA Workforce Development Priority Team Co-Lead, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- Melawhy Garcia, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Science, and Director, Center for Latino Community Health, California State University, Long Beach
- Melanie Hingle, PhD, MPH, RDN, Professor and Associate Director, School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Arizona
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| Webinar Team | - Matthew Browning, Public Affairs Specialist
- Danielle Farley, MS, NIFA Program Specialist, Division of Animal Systems, Institute of Food Production and Sustainability
- Sheila Fleischhacker, PhD, JD, RDN, NIFA National Science Liaison - Nutrition and Food Safety and NIFA Nutrition Security Team Co-Lead
- Amber Gellert, MA, NIFA Program Assistant, Division of Community and Education, Institute of Youth, Family, and Community
- Cassandra Huey, PhD, NIFA Program Specialist, Division of Community and Education, Institute of Youth, Family, and Community
- Stephanie Morris, PhD, NIFA Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition Date Analyst
- Suzanne Stluka, PhD, RDN, Deputy Director, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, NIFA
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| Relevant Resources | |
| Webinar Recording | The video recording, slide deck, and other resources will be provided on the series webpage after the live version and will be emailed to all registered webinar attendees. |
| Reasonable Accommodations | Closed captioning is generally offered for our webinar series. If you need any additional reasonable accommodation to participate in this webinar, please email sheila.fleischhacker@usda.gov or call 816-266-7859 no later than Monday, October 21st by 12 noon ET. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, could be provided free of charge to limited English proficient and those who require other reasonable accommodation upon request. |
