Page 28 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)

Tamara Melton, MS, RDN, CPHIMS Dawn Ballosingh, MPA, RDN, LMNT
Executive Director and Cofounder of Diversify Dietetics; WIC Program Clinic Manager at OneWorld Community
Registered Dietitian With the Compass Group Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska

Tamara Melton has taken on an initiative over and Mothers and their children are Dawn Ballosingh’s great-
above her current position as director of nutrition and est passion in dietetics. Serving these populations and
sustainability at Chartwells School Dining Services K12 others, she’s acquired a long list of accomplishments
to fill a badly needed niche in nutrition and dietetics. and she’s still going strong. According to one colleague,
And she has corralled much support from colleagues Ballosingh “is an exceptional visionary leader, program
who believe her work will make a huge difference in developer, and collaborator” who “optimizes diversity
attracting people of color to the field. and inclusivity in her volunteer and professional life.”
After many years in academia at Georgia State Ballosingh credits her mother for her burgeoning
University—and more recently, working in school interest in dietetics—even before she knew what a dieti-
nutrition—Melton tian was. Having grown up in Trinidad, her parents were
was struck by not only involved in food collections for the poor, and that had
the lack of diversity a long-lasting impact. Ballosingh moved to the United
in dietetics but also States in 1986. Interestingly, she had a career as a profes-
the lack of resources sional keyboardist in Florida before becoming a dietitian.
available to bring about In her first job in dietetics, she served as the nutri-
change. She began tion program developer for Kids Connected by Design, a
thinking about what home visitation program that helps prevent child abuse
students—and young and neglect by promoting positive parent-child relation-
people—of color would ships. It’s in this program that Ballosingh developed and
need to successfully implemented “Embedded Dietitian” for high-risk preg-
traverse a path into the nant minority women, many
field. From here, the idea of whom had HIV or gesta-
for a nonprofit, Diversify Dietetics, was born. tional diabetes, and through
“While there’s a lot of talk about a need for more diver- which she provided nutri-
sity in our field, the trouble is, we need something that’s tion education.
going to get students of color into dietetics in the first That experience made
place,” Melton says. “It can be a difficult pathway, and her transition to program
there isn’t a lot of support.” manager for Omaha WIC
Melton found that students of color and many young a natural one, as she loved
dietitians of color felt unsupported and isolated. Melton working with moms and
has listened to students and young professionals who babies. Under her leadership,
had done everything it took to earn a dietetics degree— her clinic grew to become
and then left for nursing or something else because they the largest in the state.
were so disenfranchised. It was in this role that Ballosingh became a sought-
Diversify Dietetics is looking to change that. The orga- after mentor. Her mentees revered her for her visionary
nization is committed to increasing diversity from all leadership and unfailing support. Always one to
ethnic and racial groups. One way it’s achieving this is by remain humble, Ballosingh calls her mentoring “just a
facilitating and promoting regular meetups in various realization of my limitations.”
cities—its biggest one having been at FNCE®. The organi- “Those of us who are senior dietitians need to be
zation also hosts a career center, where it posts job open- thinking about passing the baton to the next generation
ings. Many companies are turning to Diversify Dietetics of dietitians who will lead our industry into the future,”
and asking for help in attracting a more diverse pool of she says.
job candidates. Ballosingh is equally passionate about her volunteer
The group also runs a structured mentorship program work. She serves on the executive committee of the Acad-
providing customized mentor/mentee matches. And emy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ (the Academy) Women’s
Melton says that regularly spotlighting dietitians of color Health Dietetic Practice Group and has increased student
and other ethnicities on its blog has been a powerful way membership by 20%. She’s also one of two representatives
of representing the diverse field. At press time, Diversify from the Academy chosen to serve on the US Breastfeed-
Dietetics also was in the process of launching its first- ing Committee. What’s more, Ballosingh was selected
ever Entrepreneur Summit for Dietitians of Color, to be to be a member of the Fetal Loss and Infant Mortality
held in March in Atlanta. Case Review Team by the Douglas-Sarpy County Health
“It’s fair to say that this idea—at least in some form or Department Board of Directors. In 2016, she was named
fashion—has lived in others’ heads, as well,” Melton says. the Omaha District Dietetic Association’s Dietitian of the
“We would not be where we are today without our com- Year and was a nominee for the Nebraska state Outstand-
munity, and I need to thank them for supporting us.” ing Dietitian of the Year award.

28 TODAY’S DIETITIAN • MARCH 2020