Nutritional Sciences Mentors

Agata is a social science analyst and FDA portfolio lead in the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically in the Office of the Assistance Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), where she works on nutrition and FDA policy issues and research. Prior to joining ASPE at the end of 2024, Agata spent two years working as a health insurance specialist at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) where she focused on implementing the drug price negotiation and inflation rebate programs established by the Inflation Reduction Act. Prior to moving to the executive branch, Agata spent 8.5 years working in the legislative branch at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), focusing on providing guidance related to FDA and nutrition policy issues to members of Congress and their staff.

I work as a Health Education Communications Consultant with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), where I develop and revise evidence-based oral health education materials that make health information clear, accessible, and actionable for diverse audiences. My background is in public health communication, health education, and creating resources that promote health literacy and positive health outcomes. My professional interests include oral health, women's health, child and adolescent health, and nutrition.

Allison Mankowski, MPH, RDN, CSSD the owner of a nutrition counseling practice located in Plymouth, MI. She specializes in treating athletes with eating disorders. Prior to her current role, she was the Director of Performance Nutrition at Eastern Michigan University for 11 years. She has also served as a consultant dietitian for the Detroit Lions, partnered with many local gyms, clubs, high schools and universities, presented at national conferences, given guest lectures and been featured in various forms of media. 

As a regulatory medical writer, I help teams turn ideas and data into well-constructed narratives explaining the need for, efficacy, and safety of new drugs. My niche expertise is incorporating the patient voice (via patient-reported outcomes and other patient experience data) into the clinical trial study design to ensure these studies answer questions that matter to the patient population experiencing the disease or symptom.

I am a Registered Dietitian working for the Sodexo Nutrition and Wellness Center. I provide my expertise as a clinical dietitian working remotely for understaffed hospitals around the US. I have experience working inpatient with adult populations to provide medical nutrition therapy on general medicine and ICU units, as well as outpatient oncology and transplant. 

I’m currently a registered dietitian and PACE contract manager for MDHHS. I have experience proving care for older adults and educating others on the resources MDHHS offers for older adults, including nutrition programs. In my current role we provide oversight for all the PACE organizations in Michigan and help develop policies and quality initiatives to ensure safe care for PACE participants.

I serve as the Clinical Nutrition Supervisor/Manager for all of the transplant dietitians (6) at Atrium Health Transplant Center in Charlotte, NC. With almost 10 years of clinical nutrition experience, I am passionate about nutrition support and providing high quality patient care. I also serve on ASPEN’s Publications Committee.

I worked as a Public Health Nutritionist in SE Idaho-including 2 days/week on an Indian Reservation- as well as in Washtenaw County here in Michigan. I then had a long career in the pharmaceutical industry in the roles of sales rep, manager and sales trainer. I easily discover skills and positive traits in individuals and focus on positive reinforcement and encouragement. I took care of my Father and then my Husband until their passing. I have a 3 year old granddaughter Juniper who is local and a 15 year old rescued cat Deeks.

I'm a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at the Indiana University School of Public Health–Bloomington. After graduating with an MPH in Human Nutrition/Dietetics, I worked as a dietitian with a focus on long-term care and community nutrition education. I went back to school for a PhD in Health Behavior and a minor in Epidemiology. My current role is a blend of teaching and service with some research components. My areas of expertise include public health, health behavior, and nutrition education.

Started in healthcare as a registered dietitian but wanted to make a broader impact across larger systems and populations. Experience as internal/external consultant in health technology implementation and end user experience in vertically integrated health systems and large consulting firms/federal contractors. Increasing interest working with aging and caregiver populations to ensure they are supported in their communities.

I just completed almost 17 years with Oakland Unified School District in the SF Bay Area in California working at the interface of food systems and environment, food and garden education at the Director of Programs. I am transitioning to be the Food As Medicine Collaborative Director in San Francisco, bringing nutrition security to the healthcare system in partnership with public and nonprofit agencies.

Currently I am a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Department of Neurology at Michigan Medicine. I specifically work in ALS research where I have the unique opportunity to work 1:1 with patients in our multidisciplinary ALS clinic as well as focus on several of our observational studies. This is a second stage career for me as I previously spent over a decade as a brand storyteller and technical writer before returning to grad school at age 50 to get my Master of Nutrition Sciences. I am an expert in reinvention and how to parlay previous unrelated work experiences into new roles. 

I am a Health Informatics and Data Governance Specialist with experience in healthcare analytics, responsible AI, digital health implementation, and clinical workflow design. My work has included analyzing clinical and claims data, supporting AI-enabled healthcare products, and helping develop an AI governance playbook for a network of 50 community health centers, with practical tools for organizational readiness, vendor evaluation, risk management, and responsible adoption. I also have experience addressing healthcare privacy, security, and compliance considerations, including HIPAA, COPPA-aligned product design, data governance, consent, and responsible handling of sensitive health information (PHI). 

I'm a Nutrition Policy Program Officer for the healthy food and environments team at Resolve to Save Lives, where I mostly work on sodium reduction. I provide knowledge management and technical support to help countries implement the WHO SHAKE the salt habit technical guide, in order to reduce sodium consumption across the world and save lives through improved cardiovascular health.