April 27, 2020
By Charleen Hsieh, Dietetic Intern
The Marilyn Magaram Center, in collaboration with the CSUN Dietetic Internship program, hosted the 8th annual CSUN Food and Nutrition Public Policy Day on April 20th. This year’s theme was “Legislation Impacts All,” showcasing the importance of food and nutrition legislation across all areas of the dietetic profession. Due to the current pandemic, the event was successfully coordinated and hosted virtually for the first time ever, with 120 students and professionals in attendance.
This year’s event included guest speakers from the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (CAND), California Food Policy Advocates, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Keck School of Medicine of USC: Neurology LAC+USC Medical Center: Child Neurology, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Northeast Valley Health Corporation, and our keynote speaker was Dr. Christina Hecht, Senior Policy Advisor from California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Attendees learned about how the health of individuals and communities are impacted by federal, state and local policies, in addition to various ways that they can advocate for policies that promote health through nutrition and wellness. Many were left inspired and motivated to take action, and CSUN dietetic interns coordinated breakout sessions with attendees to help create and post messages for their California representatives as an initiative to speak out about the importance of California Licensure for Registered Dietitians.
The Marilyn Magaram Center would like to extend a very special thank you to Charleen Hsieh, CSUN Dietetic Intern, who coordinated the event along with our planning committee: Fatinah Darwish and Kelly Warner, Jocelyn Harrison, Kathrine Rawson, Kimberly Poquiz, Eirenel Eclevia, Jada Cantrell, Karmen Ovespyan, Annette Besnilian. We also extend our sincerest thanks to our co-sponsors: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Los Angeles District Dietetic Association, CSUN Oviatt Library, Kappa Omicron Nu Student Honor Society, CSUN Campus Dining, CSUN University Student Union, and CSUN Dietetic Interns.
