About
Culinary Medicine Programming
In 2019 Jessica Todd MS, RD, LD started the Culinary Medicine and Wellness programming at Georgia State University (GSU) for nutrition and undergraduate students. In line with her nutrition philosophy of “Prevent prescriptions, eat for wellness” the culinary medicine programming offers students a chance to learn practical culinary skills while honing clinical understanding of evidence-based nutrition concepts through Health meets Food curriculum.
In their on-campus kitchen, up to 26 graduate-level dietetic students can take a culinary medicine elective class that covers 20 Health meets Food modules throughout the year. After the class, dietetic students integrate culinary medicine concepts into clinical experiences at Emory and Southern Regional Hospitals by meeting patients where they are and utilizing a food-first approach to nutrition counseling throughout their dietetic internship rotations.
The Culinary Medicine and Wellness Program also offers graduate students the opportunity for leadership through Graduate Teaching Assistantships (TA) and laboratory assistantships. Students pay a lab fee to take the class which covers the cost of food, supplies and the lab assistant. The Department of Nutrition covers the cost of the Graduate TA. The TA’s lead the undergraduate non-nutrition major courses under the supervision of Jessica Todd. This approach has helped provide funding and sustainability to the Culinary Medicine Programming at GSU.
What started as a program to fill in a gap in the curriculum for nutrition and dietetics students has now expanded to offerings for undergraduate students, nursing students, athletics, and more. Each year, the GSU Culinary Medicine and Wellness Program reaches over 100 undergraduate students through 4 sections of the “Culinary Medicine and Wellness” course which integrates Health meets Food community curriculum. One hundred nursing students complete 2 Health meets Food modules to learn more about carbohydrates and diabetes and gestational diabetes in an interdisciplinary environment. Dietetic students help lead classes for nursing students, giving both an opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary team and learn from one another’s expertise. The Student Nutrition Services also offers community classes to any student on the GSU campus for a lab fee. The GSU Culinary Medicine and Wellness Program has also collaborated with GSU’s softball team to provide recommendations and nutrition education on healthy breakfast options and meal preparation.
The successful collaboration The Culinary Medicine and Wellness program has had with other departments and student populations across GSU’s campus demonstrates the versatility and widespread impact a culinary medicine program can have. Georgia State University students value the integration of culinary medicine within their university education and appreciate the hands-on opportunity to prepare recipes that meet the guidelines of various diets. The combination of hands-on cooking and didactic sessions allow students to deepen fundamental understanding of food and nutrition while providing a creative opportunity for the development of practical skills to improve their own health and their future patients.
Leadership and Faculty
Jessica Todd, MS, RD, LD
Coordinated Program Director and Clinical Associate Professor
lewis.gsu.edu/profile/jessica-d-johnson-m-s-r-d-l-d/
Jessica Todd, MS, RD, LD is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and is a registered and licensed dietitian with over a decade of clinical experience. Jessica is currently owner of Perfectly Portioned Nutrition, a local healthy meal-prep company, and Clinical Associate Professor and the Coordinated Program Director in the Department of Nutrition at Georgia State University. Under Jessica’s leadership, the Coordinated Program maintains a 98% pass rate for the National Examination for the Registered Dietitian and was awarded the Noteworthy Practice Award by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2016. Jessica is proficient in menu development and analysis, individual and group counseling, program development and implementation, as well as education.
Jessica is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) and the Greater Atlanta Dietetic Association (GADA).
In 2019 Jessica started the Culinary Medicine and Wellness programming at Georgia State University as a means to fill a gap within the curriculum offered to nutrition students and undergraduate students at large. She is excited to serve as curriculum committee member to The American College of Culinary Medicine starting January 2021.
Prevent prescriptions, eat for wellness is at the heart of Jessica’s philosophy on nutrition. As a mother, entrepreneur, avid cook and educator, Jessica recognizes that food is an integral part of our lives.
LuAnn Parker, MS, RD, LD
Part-time Instructor
LuAnn Parker is a registered and licensed dietitian in the state of Georgia and holds a master’s degree in Nutrition from Georgia State University. LuAnn is currently an instructor in the Department of Nutrition at GSU and teaches both undergraduate and graduate level courses. As a teacher, she is both honored and excited about the opportunity to educate students on improving their health through nutrition.
LuAnn has experience in the field on oncology nutrition and was drawn to this specialty after experiencing cancer in her own family. She is a firm believer that a person’s diet can directly impact their health either positively or negatively. For this reason, she follows a whole foods plant-based diet and loves how the Culinary Medicine curriculum supports a plant-forward lifestyle as a tool to treat and prevent chronic disease.
LuAnn is a wife, mother of three girls, and a lover of food! Her nutritional philosophy echos the famous words by Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
