Education and Credentials

B.A. in Food and Nutrition, with Dietetic Concentration from Bluffton University; Bluffton, OH.

Dietetic Internship completed with Baptist Health System; San Antonio, TX.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist; Certified and licensed to practice in Indiana and Ohio

Research and Professional Experience

May 2014-Current

Director, Arthur & Gloria Muselman Wellness Pavilion, an outreach and service of Swiss Village, Inc., Berne, IN.

http://www.swissvillage.org/

August 2012-May 2014

Dietitian for Community-Based Participatory Research, Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science, West Lafayette/Decatur, IN.

Various Roles and Responsibilities: 

Project Coordinator for USDA/NIFA-funded research project, Voices for Food

• Collaborate with research staff from multiple states to complete project tasks, such as a research toolkit for communities
• Hire, train, supervise, and manage undergraduate and graduate-level student workers
• Manage on-site data collection operation
• Review, edit, and create research tools, documents, and scientific research articles
• Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication skills with research participants and communities
• Skills utilized: community organizing; cultural competency; group management and discussion facilitation; hiring and management; organization, timeliness, effective communication; data collection and entry, proficient in Microsoft Access; thoroughness and attention to detail; application of scientific process

Coordinator for Indiana's Emergency Food Resource Network (IEFRN)

• Author, edit, design, publish, and distribute bi-monthly IEFRN newsletter and educational insert  to Indiana emergency food providers and Extension staff; increased newsletter publications from 4 to 6 per year and inserts from 3 to 4 per year
• Promote organization through social media and presentations at conferences and meetings; raised website traffic from 51 users in September 2012 to 1,439 users in December 2014
• Manage online emergency food system database for Indiana
• Mentor undergraduate students assigned to create IEFRN food demonstration videos for website
• Skills utilized: writing evidence-based education for a targeted audience; graphic design, proficient in Adobe InDesign; organization, timeliness, effective communication; attention to detail and thoroughness

Research Dietitian

• Provide review and editing of draft manuscripts
• Organize lab meetings and lab member contact information
• Ensure IRB compliance for those working on research projects

Professional Development

Presentations, Projects, and Activities

2015

Presenter, Boy Scouts, Cooking Merit Badge. 

• Educated Boy Scouts on food safety and prepared nutrition/MyPlate and allergy/food-related disease materials and handouts for additional presenters. Collaborators: Kris Bischoff, MS, RD, CDE and Carolyn Richie, RD, CD

Presenter, Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies Program (atTurnstone)/Northeast Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month Food Demonstration.

• Demonstrated how to prepare a healthy tuna salad and educated on healthy eating to veterans and their families. Collaborator: Carolyn Richie, RD, CD

Guest Lecturer, The Emergency Food System, Public Health Nutrition Class, Purdue University.

• Educated students about the emergency food system, which included information about TEFAP, Feeding America, and Indiana's Emergency Food Resource Network. 

2014

Presenter, Feast or Famine: What's the state of your community this holiday season?, Purdue University Extension, Webinar.

• Educated audience on poverty, food access, food deserts, and food environment; provided resources to help audience determine the "state of their community" within the context of these definitions; co-presenters: Heather A. Eicher-Miller, PhD, Jodee Ellett, Lisa Graves, MS, RD, and Melissa Maulding, MS, RD

Research Poster Presentation, Environmental change to improve food security: the Voices for Food Project, Purdue University Extension Health and Human Sciences Update, West Lafayette, IN.

• Presented research poster to Extension staff during conference poster session

Media Communication, Indiana's Emergency Food Resource Network Twitter Post Development, Purdue University Extension, West Lafayette, IN.

• Prepare monthly Tweets for IEFRN to be published on Purdue University Extension’s Twitter page

Wal-mart Grocery Store Tour, Active Living Week, Adams County Winning with Wellness, Decatur, IN.

•  Prepared and delivered grocery store tour for Active Living Week, an event focusing on health and physical activity; collaborator: Kris Bischoff, MS, RD, CDE 

Guest speaker, “Voices for Food,” Indiana Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Board, Indianapolis, IN.

• Presented to the Indiana NEP Board about Voices for Food and how the Family Nutrition Program can contribute to its implementation

Presenter, Discovery Meeting, Indiana’s Emergency Food Resource Network: Addressing Food Insecurity in Indiana, West Lafayette, IN.

• Organized Discovery Meeting to foster collaboration between Indy Hunger Network and the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department; presented information to Indy Hunger Network about IEFRN as a resource for Indiana

2013

Guest speaker, Community Issues and Applications for Educators (EDCI-350), Understanding Poverty and Food Insecurity in a Community Setting, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

• Presented IEFRN as a resource for emergency food providers to EDCI-350 students

Culinary demonstrations, St. John’s/Lafayette Urban Ministry food pantry for Indiana’s Emergency Food Resource Network, Lafayette, IN.

• Prepared and delivered food demonstrations with nutrition education component to a food pantry audience using foods available in the food pantry

Guest speaker, Purdue University Extension Health and Human Sciences Update, Monitoring Food Insecurity and Access to Successful Interventions in Indiana/Indiana’s Emergency Food Resource Network, West Lafayette, IN.

• Co-presented with Dr. Heather A.Eicher-Miller to Purdue University Extension Educators about opportunities for their involvement in IEFRN and how to use our resources 

Guest speaker, Purdue University Extension Home and Family Conference, Indiana’s Emergency Food Resource Network (IEFRN): Addressing Food Insecurity in Indiana, West Lafayette, IN.

• Co-presented with Dr. Heather A. Eicher-Miller to Extension Homemakers about how they can use IEFRN resources in their communities 

Guest speaker, Purdue University Nutrition Science Department May Conference, Indiana’s Emergency Food Resource Network (IEFRN): A resource for emergency food providers in Indiana, West Lafayette, IN.

• Presented to Registered Dietitians about how they can IEFRN resources in their work to address food insecurity in their areas

Significant Dietetic Internship Projects

Patient Case Studies: Pancreatic Cancer and Empyema; Journal Club: Fructose malabsorption in Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Theme meal, Eating in Season; National Nutrition Month project and presentations, Getting Your Plate in Shape: Building a Healthy Plate, From Purchase to Preparation, and Managing Portions and Easy Ways to Estimate; Guest speaker, Judson Independent School District Elementary, Choose My Plate; Employee in-service to foodservice staff, Proper temperature, labeling, and sanitation, Tri-Sun Long-Term Care.

• Demonstrated leadership and critical thinking in a variety of internship settings
• Strong communication and professional etiquette as evidenced by interviewing and counseling patients, timeliness incompleting internship assignments, and building relationships with preceptors and workplace staff

Publications

2015

"Using Food Policy Councils to Address Rural Food Issues." Collaborator: Heather A. Eicher-Miller, PhD.

• An article for rural Indiana community leaders about what food policy councils are and how they function, opportunities and challenges that may exist for a food policy council in their area, and implications for affecting local policy.

Indiana's Emergency Food Resource Network Newsletters, 12/2012-Current

• IEFRN articles are written for the staff and volunteers of emergency food programs and the population they serve, and contain relevant nutrition, food safety, and local, state, or federal updates. Issues for 2014 and 2015 are provided below; more available upon request or on the website.
• 04/2015
• 02/2015
• 12/2014
• 10/2014
• 08/2014
• 06/2014
• 04/2014
• 02/2014

Indiana's Emergency Food Resource Network Educational Inserts, 12/2012-Current

• Issues for 2014 and 2015 are provided below; more available upon request or on the website.
• 02/2015: "Nutrition for All Ages"
• 10/2014: "Fall Favorites"
• 06/2014: "Ensuring the safety of donated product"
• 04/2014: "Types of dairy foods and tips on how to choose"
• 02/2014: "Printable Wallet Card: Fish for your Health"

This website and all included content is the creative work of Briana L. Eicher and it cannot be used by anyone else.

Signed: Briana L. Eicher