The Alabama Dietetic Association (ALDA), an affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has named Carleton Rivers, MS, RDN, program director of the UAB School of Health Professions’ Master of Science in Nutrition Sciences – Clinical Track – Dietetic Internship program, the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year. Each year, affiliates of the Academy name a Recognized Young Dietitian to recognize the excellence of dietitians age 35 or younger.
“I am honored to receive the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year Award from the Alabama Dietetic Association. To be honest, the past two years working as a Dietetic Internship Director at UAB have been the hardest of my life but also the most fulfilling,” said Rivers. “I am grateful that the Lord has entrusted me with the responsibility of training new dietitians and surrounded me with such an amazing team in the Department of Nutrition Sciences. I could not be where I am today without my faith in the Lord and the support of my family and colleagues. I love what I do, so to receive an award for my work is the cherry on top of the cake.”
“Carleton is well deserving of the ALDA 2018 Young Dietitian of the Year Award,” said W. Timothy Garvey, M.D., chair, Department of Nutrition Sciences, director, UAB Diabetes Research Center. “Through innovation and dedication she has established an integrated dietetic internship and Master’s Degree program, which takes talented young people and trains them to be best dietitians in the South.”
Rivers, who is also an alumna of the Master of Science in Nutrition Sciences program, has served as DI program director since January 2016. In addition to leading the program, she is in charge of assessment and monitoring of the program for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She is also responsible for teaching two of the DI program’s main courses: “NTR 589: Internship Practicum, Graduate Level” and “NTR 611: Advanced Food Systems and Resource Management.”
“This award recognizes the commitment that Carleton has for the program and the inspiration she is to her students and preceptors,” said José R. Fernández, Ph.D., FTOS, vice chair for Education in the Department of Nutrition Sciences. “Carleton is an advocate for her students and is constantly trying creative ways to improve the program and to make UAB the top choice for training for registered dietitians.”
“This awards represents excellence in teaching and the professional training of our students. Carleton is well deserving of this award,” said Brenda Bertrand, Ph.D., director, Master of Science in Nutrition Sciences program.
Before joining the Department of Nutrition Sciences, Rivers served as dietitian for the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), which is part of the UAB/Lakeshore Research Collaborative.
While there, Rivers wrote monthly nutrition columns for Inclusive Health Connection, blogged for Endless CapABILITIES, created nutrition videos, and delivered nutrition lectures at the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham. She also acted as a project coordinator and dietitian on numerous telehealth studies within the UAB/Lakeshore Research Collaborative.
Rivers received the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year award at the ALDA Annual Conference during their annual luncheon on Thursday, March 15, 2018, in Birmingham.
This is the second year in a row that Rivers has earned a major award in her field. In 2017, the Birmingham District Dietetic Association named Rivers the Young Dietitian of the Year.
