A growing older adult population, many of whom have chronic diseases, is also propelling a need for dietitian nutritionists, clinical nutrition program director Christina Liew-Newville said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople that are getting older, they want to retire and feel good and able to travel and able to do stuff that they waited all their life to do, so they\u2019re also seeking that help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Clinical nutrition program director Christina Liew-Newville, center, cuts the ribbon at the UNT Health clinical nutrition kickoff event, surrounded by other involved UNT Health Fort Worth employees and Fort Worth City Council member Macy Hill. (McKinnon Rice | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
UNT Health held a kickoff event for the program on Oct. 2. Fort Worth City Council member Macy Hill highlighted the program\u2019s alignment with a new Texas law requiring graduate health care schools to add nutrition instruction to existing programs.<\/p>\n
Texas is second in the nation for employment of dietitians and nutritionists, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is also ranked sixth in the country for employment in the field, higher than anywhere else in the state.<\/p>\n The clinical nutrition program was granted accreditation candidacy from the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics in July, allowing the program to begin marketing and recruiting. If all goes well, the program will be fully accredited in a few years, and the candidacy status in the meantime allows graduates to sit for the registered dietitian nutritionist exam.<\/p>\n The program opened applications at the beginning of August and has already garnered three applicants, with more expected before the Feb. 1 deadline, Liew-Newville said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She hopes the program meets its goal of leaving graduates not just with the skills they need to be registered dietitian nutritionists, but also knowing how to collaborate with other professions and generate change.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are hoping that these students that we build, that will graduate in the future, will really become a key player and leaders in our community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n McKinnon Rice is the higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Fort Worth Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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