MS Nutrition

From law to federal nutrition science: George �鶹��Ƶ PhD alum carves out career at USDA

Taylor Thomas — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:26:45 +0000

From law to federal nutrition science: George �鶹��Ƶ PhD alum carves out career at USDA Taylor Thomas Mon, 12/08/2025 - 09:26

Kelly Kogan. Photo provided.

At �鶹��Ƶ, Kelly Kogan found the space to merge two growing interests—nutrition and data—into a new career direction. “My favorite part was the ability to really pursue my interests,” she said. “I’m very grateful they enabled me to do what I wanted to do.”

That direction wasn’t obvious at first. When Kogan left her two-decade D.C. law career, she didn’t yet know where she was headed. She just knew she needed change. “I wasn’t a happy lawyer,” she said. “I woke up one day and thought, I don’t want to do this for another decade.”

Food had always been a love: cooking for her family, food photography, thinking about nutrition. She followed that curiosity into an undergraduate Introduction to Nutrition class at �鶹��Ƶ. “And I loved it,” she said.

One class led to another, then to the master’s program in Nutrition and Food Studies in 2021. As her interests sharpened, Kogan discovered a passion for working with data and pursued a PhD in Health Services Research, which she completed in 2023.

Today, Kogan works as a nutritionist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, helping guide What We Eat in America, the dietary intake survey that captures a detailed portrait of Americans’ food habits. The survey serves as a cornerstone of U.S. nutrition science, informing decades of research and major public health decisions, such as the addition of folic acid to bread products to prevent birth defects.

“This work is important,” Kogan said. “Data is what informs evidence-based policymaking. We have to know how to collect it, clean it, and analyze it to identify problems and create solutions.”

What We Eat in America is the dietary interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, supported by USDA’s Food Surveys Research Group, where Kogan contributes to the data and methods that make this work possible.

Kogan’s work with the research group grew out of her dissertation at George �鶹��Ƶ, a study of breastfeeding outcomes and food insecurity that probed how federal nutrition programs shape families’ decisions. That project opened the door to a USDA postdoctoral fellowship and ultimately to the role she holds now.

For Kogan, the shift from law to federal nutrition science wasn’t linear. George �鶹��Ƶ gave her the room to develop a specialized focus on nutrition data, a focus that carried forward into her professional life. “You have to be incredibly focused and self-directed,” she said. “Every class project I did, I found the data and turned it into a nutrition question.”

Learn more about the Public Health PhD and Health Services Research PhD programs at the George �鶹��Ƶ College of Public Health.

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MS Nutrition

PhD in Health Services Research

�鶹��Ƶ Nutrition and Dietetics graduate program receives full ACEND reaccreditation

Taylor Thomas — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:37:31 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Nutrition and Dietetics graduate program receives full ACEND reaccreditation Taylor Thomas Fri, 10/31/2025 - 11:37

In This Story

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS, MBA

Sapna Batheja, PhD, RDN, LDN

Allison McKay

Allison Miner, EdD, MS, RDN

Martin Binks PhD, MBA

The College of Public Health at �鶹��Ƶ is proud to share that the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics has been granted full reaccreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), certifying the program’s status as premier for preparing the future generation for successful careers as registered dietitian nutritionists or nutrition and dietetic technicians.

Registered dietitian students prepare healthy meals for local firefighters. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

“Continual full ACEND accreditation is a rigorous process that reflects achieving the highest standards in academic quality and professional preparation in nutrition and dietetics education,” said Melissa Perry, inaugural dean of the College of Public Health. "This achievement is a testament to the dedication of our faculty, staff, and students, whose joint efforts have strengthened not only the program but also our college’s mission to prepare the next generation of public health and nutrition leaders."

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Associate Professor Sapna Batheja, Assistant Professor Allison Miner, Department Manager Allie McKay, and Professor and Department Chair Martin Binks were instrumental throughout the reaccreditation process.

The decision to grant reaccreditation was based on a comprehensive self-study, site visit, and demonstration of the program’s adherence to standards of excellence in accordance with ACEND criteria. The reaccreditation is a seven-year term, through June 30, 2033.

The Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics prepares students to meet the nutritional needs of communities in a diverse, changing world through evidence-based, collaborative practice, are engaged in the professional community, and are dedicated to lifelong learning.

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Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

College of Public Health is fueling the pipeline for nutrition professionals

Taylor Thomas — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 12:49:46 +0000

College of Public Health is fueling the pipeline for nutrition professionals Taylor Thomas Mon, 08/05/2024 - 08:49

George �鶹��Ƶ's first cohort of graduates had a 100% pass rate on the RD certification exam—and every student was immediately employed as an RD.

Eli Kalman-Rome is the first �鶹��Ƶ graduate to pass the Registered Dietitian (RD) exam and become a credentialed RD in Virginia. Kalman-Rome was part of the first cohort to graduate from the new Master of Science in Nutrition, dietetics concentration program in May.

Kalman-Rome asserts his �鶹��Ƶ education was paramount to this achievement. His prior experiences at George �鶹��Ƶ left no question of the College’s capacity to facilitate his academic success.

“I did my master's at George �鶹��Ƶ previously and trusted the university to provide a solid education with caring and competent faculty,” said Kalman-Rome.

To pass the RD examination, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics requires students to demonstrate competencies in the principles of dietetics, nutrition care for individuals and groups, management of food and nutrition programs, and food service systems. While the typical pass rate for this for this prestigious exam is 70%, George �鶹��Ƶ's first cohort of graduates had a 100% pass rate—and every student was immediately employed as an RD. "These impressive statistics are a testament to how effectively the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies' MS, Nutrition Dietetic Concentration program prepares students for the RD exam and for the job market. We are proud of our first cohort of graduates and eager to grow this program to meet today's demand," said Martin Binks, PhD, MBA, chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.

“George �鶹��Ƶ not only provided the didactic and internship components I needed to be successful at the RD exam, but it has made me competitive as a hiring candidate. The classes laid a solid foundation for my skills and knowledge, and the internship placements for the program were varied, interesting, and provided real-life experience that helped me understand how dietetics is used professionally,” Kalman-Rome said.

In addition to setting him up for academic success, Kalman-Rome praises the College for preparing him to enter the field as a nutrition dietetics professional with an appreciation for nutrition’s role in public health.

“Adequate nutrition is instrumental to public health outcomes because it's impossible to remain healthy without it. Nutrition impacts all stages of life, from fetal development, infant mortality, maternal health, success in the classroom for growing children, the incidences of infection and disease, shortened lifespan from chronic diseases, but it is also a critical aspect of culture. Sharing food is a way of caring for each other and passing down our traditions and beliefs, nutrition is not only about physical health but also part of a holistic wellness of communities,” he said.

Kalman-Rome recently accepted a position as a Clinical Dietician at HCA Healthcare.

Congratulations, Eli!

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Nutrition Students

registered dietitian

MS Nutrition

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

Student Success

Students