CAT SAFFARINIA

***** ******** **** **., ********* 182, Herndon, VA 22312

703-***-****

ad13i3@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY

Organized, collaborative, and skillful Nutrition and Dietetics professional seeking to broaden eating disorder experience with different types of patient populations and levels of care.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics

May 2019

University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC

GPA: 3.604; Dean’s List: Spring 2018

Master of Science in Nutrition

May 2015

George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

GPA: 3.37

Bachelor of Science in Health Promotions, Spanish Minor

May 2013

Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA

GPA: 3.07; Dean’s List: Fall 2010, Spring 2013

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Virginia Lead Dietitian (License Eligible/Pending)

August 2020 - Present

Center for Discovery, Fairfax, Virginia

Aided adolescent patients ranging in age from 10 to 18 with bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) with meal planning based on individual diagnosis and guidelines servings based on the Diabetic Exchange System.

Determined weight goals in collaboration with a medical doctor according to protocol and implementing meal plans to support the weight goal.

Conducted dietary intake on admit and implement a dietary treatment plan for each patient within a week of admission.

Planned and conducted individual dietary sessions with each patient twice a week to assess progress and continuation of dietary treatment.

oIntegrating and utilizing Exposure and Response Prevention, where patients participated in various food exposures to reduce anxiety associated with certain foods or food-related situations.

oIntegrated mindful and intuitive eating principles to help patients acknowledge their genuine responses to food.

Coordinated care with referring and/or outpatient treatment team throughout patients’ treatment episodes.

Coordinated care with medical doctor, as needed, regarding any medical problems that required dietary intervention. Communicated with psychiatrist and therapist where applicable.

Collaborated with the Director of Dietary Services and the treatment team to ensure the best standard of nutrition and dietary services occurred.

Participated in the weekly treatment team and communicated weekly treatment goals with all team members.

Educated patients and families on the All Foods Fit philosophy, Health at Every Size (HAES) principle, Intuitive Eating principles, and trauma-focused dietary exposures and meal plans.

Educated patients and families on the Guidelines-based meal structure as a way of ensuring adequate portions of each food group without the use of measuring utensils/scales to determine portions sizes.

Planned, conducted and facilitated: dietary exposure groups, menu planning group, restaurant exposure group, and group cook nights.

Managed the dietary budget each month by completing the Dietary Budget Report.

Supervised diet technicians with their dietary roles and responsibilities related to compliance with the Joint Commission standards for kitchen and food safety, storage, and preparation.

Managed dietary operations at the other Virginia residential facilities. Splits time with RD’s at McLean and Alexandria residential treatment facility. Provided dietary training to RD’s and diet technicians.

Diet Technician/Counselor

July 2014 - January 2017

Center for Discovery, Fairfax, Virginia

Assisted adolescent clients ranging in age from 10 to 18 with bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder with meal planning based on individual diagnosis and exchanges from the Diabetic Exchange System.

Educated clients about types of foods such as: starches, proteins, vegetables, dairy, fruits, and fats and how to incorporate them into a balanced meal.

Planned and conducted kitchen skills group sessions by teaching clients how to utilize different cooking tools, informing clients on the science of different ingredients and how this information is used to inform the execution of different recipes, and how to incorporate kitchen safety principles during meal preparation.

Planned and conducted psychotherapeutic group sessions: Food and Feelings, Relaxation and Mindfulness, Body Acceptance, Self-Esteem, Journaling, Art Therapy, Mind over Mood, Commitments, and Assertiveness Skills.

Provided therapeutic support during in-house and community meals utilizing Exposure Response Therapy, and mindful and intuitive eating principles to help clients acknowledge their genuine responses to food.

Trained and educated new counselors on milieu management in crisis situations, eating disorder behaviors, discharge protocol, aftercare planning, HIPAA, and standard outpatient options.

Translated family therapy sessions to assist treatment team with communicating with Spanish speaking families to ensure the family’s comprehension of their child’s treatment plan.

DIETETIC INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Dietetic Internship August 2019 – June 2020

University of Maryland Dietetic Internship, College Park, MD

44-week dietetic internship with emphasis in nutrition, communication and information management.

INOVA/OMS Nutrition & Risk Prevention, Montgomery County, MD 3-week rotation

Developed recipes for a Fire Fighters station cookbook focusing on population health needs, affordability, ease of food prep, and cultural food preferences.

Coordinated menus and prepared meals for various fire stations in the county.

University of Maryland FSNE, Columbia, MD 3-week rotation

Assisted with text message development for Text4HealthyTots program.

Developed multiple infographics for use in food assistance sites to optimize use of various staple foods (beans, rice, tomatoes)

Demonstrated workload prioritization with multiple projects that were more time sensitive.

FHI 360 (non-profit health organization serving 70 countries), Washington, D.C. 1-week rotation

Developed mini lessons related to sleep health and mindfulness.

Created mini-lesson templates for diabetes education resources.

Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 11-week rotation

Enhanced nutrition assessment, diagnosis, counseling and documenting skills managing up to 7 inpatients per day.

Provided nutrition counseling in Interprofessional Clinic for low-income, predominantly Spanish speaking clients (via interpreter) with NP, Pharm and DW students.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Research Intern October 2018 – July 2019

Center for Agriculture Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, UDC, Washington D.C.

Nutrient Analysis of Crops Grown in Urban Production Systems – a collaboration between UDC and the United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Human Nutrition and Agricultural Research Center (USDA-ARS).

Collaborate with members at the USDA-ARS to learn proper collection and processing of crop samples.

Prepare and process all crop samples using techniques including lyophilizing, grinding, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) submitted by UDC and its partners.

Serve as a liaison between UDC and the USDA-ARS to ensure all needs, methods, and objectives are properly communicated.

Presentation on research findings scheduled for the 10th annual UDC undergraduate research day (Spring, 2019).

Research Intern

May 2018 – October 2018

Center for Agriculture Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, UDC, Washington D.C.

Tested varieties of strawberries for use in urban agriculture - a collaboration between UDC and the United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (USDA-ARS).

Collaborated with members of the USDA-ARS facility to learn proper care of strawberry plants and data collection.

Performed weekly maintenance of strawberries by fertilizing, checking irrigation, clipping runners, assessing pest and disease damage, and evaluating marketability of ripened strawberries at UDC and partner locations.

Coordinated work of all interns and community partners working on strawberries to ensure knowledge of appropriate methods for collecting and reporting accurate data and field notes, and provision of coverage for all locations.

Collected quantitative and qualitative measurements of fruit yield and pest data from all locations, ensuring standardization and accuracy.

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE

Intern

Spring 2018

Seabury Resources for Aging, Washington D.C.,

Developed and facilitated five nutrition-related lesson plans geared towards educating older adults, 60+ years of age on topics such as choosing healthy meals as you age, sodium intake, food safety, physical activity, and nutrition facts label.

Led nutrition-related activities and games that incorporated questions related to each lesson plan that increased participation.

Led interactive activities and games to cater to the different learning styles of the group participants

and ensure comprehension of nutrition-related topics.

Conducted reassurance interviews with older adults receiving home-delivered meals.

Intern

Spring 2018

TERRIFIC Incorporated, Washington D.C.,

Conducted reassessment interviews with older adults (60+ years of age) to assess program satisfaction.

Created health promotions for the months of August and September on healing foods and mood boosters that promote healthy living.

Intern

September 2017 – December 2017

Center for 4-H and Youth Development, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC

Developed and facilitated six nutrition related lesson plans geared towards educating 5th graders, 9-10 years of age on topics such as exotic fruit, food safety, the five food groups, food labels, basic cooking equipment, and how to create balanced meals during the holidays.

Led interactive activities and games to cater to the different learning styles of the group participants

and ensure comprehension of nutrition-related topics.

Intern

Spring 2013

At Home Gourmet, Inc., Lynchburg VA

Learned to prepare healthier foods for people that do not know how to cook for themselves.

Created a wellness and vegetarian menu for all clients to order from.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Board Member

May 2014- June 2019

American Heart Association, Healthy for Good Board, Arlington, Virginia

Plan and facilitate community activities and support local advocacy efforts.

Create, implement and assist with “Healthy for Good” initiatives and “Making My Community Healthier” awareness opportunities and events.

Coordinated and assisted with “The Walk in the Wild Side” event at the National Zoo.

Work with board and staff members to plan and accomplish board goals, including the following:

oRecruiting volunteers and raising money to fund research for the American Heart Association

oSpreading awareness through community outreach by promoting proper health and exercise and encourage participation on National Walking Day as a Walking Leader

oProviding and distributing resources on heart health and nutrition at health fairs and educational events

oExplaining the “Healthy for Good” board’s work to Heart Walk participants

AWARDS

2020 MAND recipient of the Helen D. Mullan Continuing Education Scholarship.

CERTIFICATIONS and SKILLS

CPI, MAT IS, CITI, ServSafe, LGBTQ training, WIC Works training.

Medication Aide Certified.

Proficient in Microsoft Office and Canva.

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