Event Agenda
Thursday, May 21st, 2026
8:00-8:15 am​
MTAND President’s Welcome: Tara Jones, MBA, RDN
UC North Ballroom
8:15 AM - 9:15 AM
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​Deanne Brandstetter, MBA, RDN, CDN, President of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Keynote: "Academy in Action”
UC North Ballroom​​​
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Quick Break​​
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Vendor Show: 9:30am-12:30pm
UC Grand Foyer & Meeting Room Foyer
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10:00-11:00am
Heather L Voorhees, PhD
Keynote: "Building Trust in Public Health: Addressing Misinformation"
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1:45 PM - 2:00 PM
Movement Break
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Montana Dietetic Internship (MDI) Sessions
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2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Taylor Anderson, BS & Jordyn Berglund, BS
“Shifting Paradigms: Exploring Weight-Inclusive Practices and Beliefs Among Montana State University Nutrition Alumn”
Claire Knutson, BS
“Bridging the Gap: Dietetic Internship Preceptors’ Knowledge and Adoption of Weight-Inclusive Care”
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2:30 PM - 2:35 PM
Closing Comments
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Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
9:00 AM- 9:15 am
President’s Welcome: Dana Zurchin MS, RDN, LN
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9:15 AM- 10:15 AM
Neal D. Fortin, JD
“We Are What We Eat: Food Additive Regulation”
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10:15 AM- 10:30 AM
Movement Break
10:30 AM- 11:30 AM
Allison Yoder, MA, RDN, LD
“Empowering RDNs: Unlocking the Potential of Food as Medicine”
11:30 AM- 11:45 AM
Movement Break
11:45 AM- 1:00 PM
Lunch, Membership Meeting, and Awards Ceremony: Dana Zurchin MS, RDN, LN
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1:00 PM- 2:00 PM
Colleen Dawkins, FNP-C, RDN, CSOWM
“Incretin-Based Medications and Nutrition Counseling”
2:00 PM- 2:15 PM
Movement Break
2:15 PM- 3:15 PM
Joyce Faraj-Ardura, PhD, MS, RDN, LDN
“UNSTUCK: How to Help Clients Break Through Behavior Change Barriers”
3:15 PM- 3:20 PM
Movement Break
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Montana Dietetic Internship (MDI) Sessions
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3:30 PM- 4:15 PM
Room A
Kaylah Kilby, BS
“Integrating Passamaquoddy Foodways into Nutrition Practice: A Model for RDNs”
Lauren Black, MS
“The Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Insights from Committee Members & Public Perceptions”
Shelby Duncan, BS
“Culinary Medicine: Bridging the Gap Between Doctors and Dietitians”
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Room B
Grace Garzini, BS & Cassidy Crawford, BS, CHI
“Tailoring Diabetes Education for Montana’s Vulnerable Communities”
Nikki Paulus, BS & Cara Eaton, MS
“Harvesting Connections: A Case Review of How the "Get Your Kicks at Six" Festival in a Rural Community Bridges Farmers and Community through Local Food”
Conrad Wong, BS & Allison Varineau, BS
“The Offal Truth”
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4:15 PM- 4:30 PM
Closing Comments
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