Letter from Our President
Greetings MAND Members!
As Springtime nears, it’s the perfect time to pause and appreciate the incredible work of our MAND Board and Committee members, who dedicate their time to advancing our profession and supporting your community. We are excited to bring you a wealth of activities de signed to promote our profession and deliver exceptional value to our members.
Mark Your Calendars!
March 12, 2025 – Legislative Day at the State House in the Hall of Flags
April 11, 2025 – MAND Annual Conference at the University of New England, Innovation Hall in Portland, Maine.
What’s Happening This Winter?
Legislative Day (March 12): Join us in celebrating National Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Day by becoming involved in state issues affecting our profession. Our Public Policy Committee, led by Kayla Parsons, is preparing for this important event where we’ll highlight our positive impact on the health of Maine’s citizens to state representatives and senators. Find out more here: https://www.eatrightmaine.org/advocacy
Compact Licensure Update: Under the leadership of Rebecca MacLean, MAND’s State Policy Representative, we are optimistic about the potential passage of the Compact Licensure for Registered Dietitians in Maine this spring. Rebecca is collaborating with Rep. Kristi Mathieson, Chair of the Health Coverage, Insurance, and Financial Services (HCIFS) Committee, to finalize this legislation. Stay tuned!
Missed the Compact Licensure Q&A Webinar on January 13? Watch the recording here (enter passcode #u^38q+r)
Board Nominations: Our Nominating and Awards Chair, Lily Brickman, is connecting with members to fill 2025-2026 board vacancies. It’s wonderful to see so many members eager to step into leadership roles!
Food and Nutrition Security: Pat Watson leads our newest and largest committee, which is tackling strategies to support members in addressing hunger in Maine. Watch your inbox for an upcoming survey on how we can enhance this work, especially as feder al support for nutrition programs faces potential changes.
Spring Conference
Annual Conference (April 11): This year’s event features an outstanding lineup of speakers and diverse topics. Members will gain a range of insights from the Farm Bill to the New Dietary Guidelines, implications of new weight loss drugs, and the impact of circadian rhythms on health.
We look forward to seeing you on March 12 and April 11 to celebrate, learn, and support our incredible profession.
Stay warm and stay engaged!
Laurie Copithorne
MS, MBA, RD(CDN), FDC
Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram #EatRightMaine, #MaineNutri tion, #MaineDietetics
MAND Public Policy Update
Dietetic Licensure Compact Q&A Session
MAND’s Public Policy Panel would like to thank members for attending the recent virtual li censure compact Q & A, led by our state policy representative, Rebecca Maclean. During this event, members had the opportunity to discuss the impact of the licensure compact on Maine Dietitians and where we currently stand in the process. To learn more about the dietetic licensure compact, visit this link. If you were unable to attend the event, we will be sharing the re cording and a copy of the presentation in the near future.
Protect Nutrition Programming
One of the quickest ways to stay involved in advocacy is by completing Academy action alerts. Action alerts are available to both Academy members and the public, with the aim to bring vital nutrition policies to the forefront of congress’s attention. The Academy is currently urging members to make their voice known concerning the damaging effects of the pending government shutdown on March 14, 2025. A shutdown is imminent if a funding agreement is not reached by this time. Immediate impacts include expiration and funding lapses for Medicare telehealth waivers, community health center funding, and other crucial nutrition programming. We urge you to advocate by completing this action alert today. I promise it will only take a minute!
Mark your calendars - Legislative Event 2025
We invite you to celebrate National Nutrition month and National Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day with us at Maine’s State House. Members of MAND will be encouraged to meet with their legislators to discuss key advocacy topics, including the dietitian licensure compact and the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act. Prior to the legislative day, all MAND attendees will be invited to join the Public Policy Panel to discuss our key points of conversation.
The 2025 legislative event will be held on March 12, 2025 in the Hall of Flags at Maine’s State house.
If interested in advocating, please complete the sign-up sheet that will be sent out via MAND’s eblasts in the upcoming weeks. Any amount of time is appreciated!
The MAND Annual Spring Conference is Coming!
Join us on Friday, April 11, 2025
University of New England Innovation Hall in Portland, Maine
The CPE activity application for the MAND Conference is pending CDR review and approval for 7 CPEUs.
Nutrition Horizons: Advancing Practice and Research in Maine
Get ready for a day of insightful learning and meaningful networking. Our Keynote Speaker Sessions include:
“The Farm Bill: Implications for the Food System and Dietetic Practice”, Christina Badaracco, MPH, RDN, LDN
“An In-Depth Look at the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Past, Present and Future”, Toby Amidor, MS, RDN, CDN, FAND
“Nutrition Considerations for Those on GLP1-RA Weight Loss Medications”, Mary Finckenor, MA, RDN, CDCES, BC-ADM, CDDS, CCRP
“Chrono-Nutrition: How Circadian Rhythms Impact Health and Disease” Sangeeta Pradhan, MEd, RD, LDN, CDCES
Back by popular demand, our Research and Practice Brief Sessions focus on clinical and community nutrition in Maine. These short, informative presentations offer a glimpse into what is happening across the state. Topics include:
Say No to “Nothing-by-Mouth” After Midnight: Frequency of Holding Enteral Nutrition at Midnight in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Michele Creech RD, LD, CNSC
Nutrition Education for Medical Staff to Enhance Patient Care, Brenna Nelson, RD, LD, CLC
The Case for Vitamin A, Donna Dodge, RD, LDN
The Development, Implementation and Assessment of Master Chef, A Theory-Based Mindful Eating Intervention for College Students, Kayla Parsons, PhD, RDN
Effective Strategies for Promoting EFNEP Programming via Social Media, Alex Gayton, MS, RDN, LDN
Community Interventions to Support Healthy Eating and Active Living Dawn Littlefield Gordon MS, RDN
Preliminary Data Collection to Support a Nutrient-Dense Meal Kit Intervention for College Students, Emma Watras, MS, RDN
Conference Registration Pricing | Hotel Room Block Information (optional) |
$90 Members $150 Non-members $50 Students $75 Current Board Member or Retired Member | Hotel: Embassy Suites by Hilton, Portland, ME Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025 Amenities: Complimentary breakfast, evening cocktail hour, and airport shuttle Method of Reservations: Attendees must make their own reservations directly with Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland, ME at (207) 775- 2200 by March 27th Room Reservation Link - HERE |
MAND Communication Update
MAND’s communication goal focuses on ensuring that members have multiple channels for receiving information about the activities done by the board on their behalf, and items of professional interest from Maine, and through the Academy. We also have a public facing presence on our website to increase awareness of the importance of our organization to non member nutrition professionals and the public.
Our website https://www.eatrightmaine.org/ is updated regularly and includes a members’ only section with our governing documents, application portals for scholarships, awards, and volunteer positions, and an incident reporting tool.
If you have nutrition news to share with other members, tap the submission button in the members section of the website to share your news in the newsletter. Email us at
eatright maine@gmail.com if you are a member who needs the password.
We also have a public facing part of the website to share educational events, our board of directors, award and scholarship recipients, and this newsletter among other resources.
Email: MAND communicates with members every two weeks through email. We occasionally send a special email blast if the news is time sensitive.
We are active on Social Media! Follow us on:
• Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/eatrightmaine/
• Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/eatrightmaine/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-maine-academy-of-nutrition-and dietetics/
Join us on all our platforms!
MAND UPDATES
MAND Food and Nutrition Security Committee Update
Last spring the MAND Board approved the formation of a Food and Nutrition Security Committee. We are a small committee at present, but we are excited about the role that we and all MAND members can have in helping alleviate food insecurity for Mainers.
We’ve identified that our first task needs to be assessing the challenges and needs of MAND members who interact with food insecure populations in our state. To that end, we created a survey that will go out to all MAND members. The survey will help us determine how members are involved in food insecurity screening and follow-up, as well as provide information on the extent to which our members are in volved in nutrition security activities in both their professional and personal lives.
We will be using the information we gather from the survey to inform our committee work and projects. We have lots of ideas already, but we’re interested in hearing more about what MAND members are al ready doing in this area, and where opportunities lie for us to enhance food security efforts statewide.
Look for the survey to arrive in your inbox soon, and please help us by spending 5-10 minutes to complete it. All survey information will be kept confidential.
If you’d like to join our Food and Nutrition Security Committee, please reach out to Patricia Watson, Chair of the committee, at patriciawatson26@gmail.com.
Want to get more involved in MAND?
We are excited to announce open positions for dedicated professionals in our organization! If you're passionate about nutrition and dietetics and want to make a difference, we invite you to consider the following roles:
• President-elect
• Secretary
• Treasurer-elect
• Public Policy Coordinator
• Nominating and Awards Committee Members/Chair
• State Policy Representative
• Student/Intern Representative
A brief overview of the responsibilities of each role can be found here. This is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate, lead, and shape the future of nutrition in Maine. If you’re looking to contribute your skills and passion, please fill out this form or email Lily Brickman at maineandnominatingawards@gmail.com with any questions.
News from our Delegate
During the January 2025 HOD meeting we heard from two winners from the 2024 Future
Practice Poster Session, who presented their future-focused work. Please take a few moments to watch their recorded presentations below, which are closely aligned with recent work of the House of Delegates and show examples of transforming vision into action.
Recorded Presentations:
To share your thoughts with your Delegate, Kristine Kittridge, please email MAND Delegate maineANDdelegate@gmail.com.
What's New - The Academy
Take Action Today to Protect SNAP and Child Nutrition Programs
Proposed funding cuts to federal school meal programs could strip more than 12 million children of access to nutritious meals, while SNAP reductions would harm vulnerable populations, increase demand on food banks, raise health care costs and weaken overall public health. Changes to either of these programs would be putting millions of children and families at risk of food insecurity which remains a chronic issue in the United States. Learn More
Tell Us: How Are You Making a Difference as an RDN or NDTR?
In honor of National Nutrition Month® this March, Academy members are invited to share how they are making an impact as a registered dietitian nutritionist or nutrition and dietetics technician, registered. Complete a short survey for a chance to be featured in Academy social media posts, websites and newsletters next month. Learn More
Foundation Scholarship Application Now Open
Completing one universal Foundation application allows students to be considered for hundreds of scholarships. Students at all levels of study – from undergraduate to supervised practice to the doctoral level – are eligible to apply.
Applications are due April 8. Click here to learn more.
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