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#FUELINGNJAND: New Jersey Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 93rd Annual Meeting Recap

By Alyssa Smolen, MS RDN CDN, NJAND Co-Communications Chair

Edison, NJ: Over 200 students, dietetic interns, registered dietitians and NDTRs gathered together on Friday, May 9th at Pines Manor in Edison, New Jersey to celebrate what it really means to be part of the nutrition and dietetics community. New Jersey may be small but the amount of passion and excitement NJ dietitians have is large.

The day began with a delicious protein rich breakfast of yogurt, granola and of course fresh blueberries (in honor of our Jersey Fresh logo) which fueled nutrition professionals for a packed day of networking, learning and fellowship. New Jersey Academy president Pinkin Panchal MS, RDN greeted everyone with opening remarks and the 2026 award winners were presented. Honorable mention to the winner of “Young Dietitian of the Year” award, Kimberly Mania PSM, RDN, who was integral to facilitating the meeting as Co-Chair of the annual meeting Committee. In addition, Jenna Deinzer, RDN, received the 2026 Emerging Dietetics Leader. Jenna has been a dedicated leader within NJAND for years. It is wonderful to support our NJAND members with their tremendous contributions to NJ dietetics.

After rounds of applause, the first general session “GLP-1’s Unpacked: Clinical Overview, Emerging Trends, Side Effects, and Nutrition Consideration” started presented by Kellene Isom, PhD, MS, RD, CAGS and Nima Patel Shori, PharmD, BCAC. This session ignited numerous questions and chatter about a hot topic.

Attendees had a tough choice choosing between three terrific breakout sessions, “From Policy to Plate: The Impact of MAHA on Food & Nutrition presented by Stephanie Hodges, MS, MPH, RDN, “Perimenopause and Beyond: Nutrition Strategies to Beat the Metabolic Slowdown” presented by Melissa Mitri, MS, RD and “How to Start Crushing it with Insurance in Your New Jersey-Based Practice” presented by Amy Plano, RD, MS, CDE, CDN.

Rutgers New Brunswick dietetic intern Holly Dorsett said her favorite session was Hodges’. She “found it especially interesting because it went beyond basic nutrition and explored how larger movements and messaging influence what people believe about food.”

Lunch followed shortly behind a busy morning while April Milevski, MS, RDN and Sabrina Lombardi, MPH RD, CNS provided attendees with a NJ licensure update.

General session two followed with Katrina Hartog, MPH, RD, CDN sharing insights in her session “Beyond the Surface: Incorporating Imaging Technologies into Nutrition-Focused Physical Findings.”

Poster sessions occurred throughout the day as individuals were able to share their informative research projects. In addition, attendees were able to check out the amazing sponsors among them Northeast Beef, Brooklyn Kitchen, Field’s Great, Kate Farms, Medical Nutrition Therapy Associates, Haleon and Rutgers School of Health Professionals.

This year a new format was introduced to the meeting. Nutrition professionals could choose between attending a breakout session or round table discussions. Before heading into another session, however, RDs and students stopped by the photobooth to snap pictures with their colleagues or take a headshot to level up their LinkedIn.

Breakout sessions included “Advancing Patient Health and Provider Knowledge Through Culinary Medicine” presented by Christina Badaracco, MPH, RDN, LDN or “From Papers to Patients: Applying Whole-Foods Based Diets in IBD Care” presented by Colleen Webb, MS, RDN.

“I have been getting more interested in GI nutrition and find it’s a very complex specialty,” said Fiona Carbone, pediatric outpatient dietitian. “I really enjoyed this presentation because the speaker was very knowledgeable but made everything easy for the audience to understand. She also included a link to case studies which I thought was a nice touch.”

Round table discussions had a variety of options to engage in lively conversation.

Topics included “Strong Students, Smart Choices: Guiding the Next Generation Through Nutrition and Health Misinformation” with Lauren Dorman, MS, RD, CDE , “Cultural Plates of New Jersey: Embracing Asian and Middle Eastern Food Traditions in Nutrition Practice” with Jerianne Cusipag, MEd, RDN, CSO, CDN, “Prioritizing Cognitive Well-Being: Patient Experience, Nutrition & Dining Environments” with Gila Singer, MS, RDN, CSG, CDN, FAND, “Beyond Dairy: The Benefits and Uses of Plant-Based Milks in Dietetic Practice” with Ashley Lombardi, MS, RDN, “Virtual Reality: Transforming Dietetics Education” with Ginger Quick, PhD, RDN, FAND, “Beyond the Tray: Addressing Bias and Stigma in School Meals and Food Security” with Ricardo Kairios, MS.

To close out the jam-packed day of tremendous speakers, Mandy Enright MS, RDN, RYT, shared her media expertise, sharing how to navigate the world of social media and ethics in her closing session, “Ditch the Dancing: Elevating Dietitian Expertise in an Influencer World.”

The meeting concluded with updates about NJAND membership and highlights from the year. Raffle winners were announced as RDs took home great prizes like a free JASPEN conference registration, restaurant gift cards and a relaxation basket.

Dietitians and dietetic professionals alike left feeling invigorated and energized about the months to come and ways to put what they learned into practice.

If you missed the opportunity to attend, be on the lookout for registration for next year and speaker submissions coming this summer. Stay tuned for updates to join fellow NJ dietitians.