Ethan A. Bergman

Building a Brighter Tomorrow: Diversity, Mentoring, and the Future of Dietetics

T HEACADEMYOFNUTRITIONAND Dietetics continues to grow year after year, both in membership and in our global reach,withmore connections around the world and increasedvisibility in theUnited States. As evidence of the economic and public health implications of the obesity epidemic mounts, demand for expert nutrition research and guidelines increases—and Academy members are the best-qualified professionals to meet that need. But the challenge of optimizing the nation’s health is not a simple one, and the ongoing effort to address it will require new approaches from a new generation of food and nutrition leaders. Who will those new leaders be? As our nation becomes increasingly diverse, it’s important that the membership of the Academy and leadership in the profession of dietetics reflect that diversity. Minority populations in the United States experience a disproportionate amount of nutrition-related illness, so reaching them is of paramount importance. The articles on diversity in this supplement explore opportunities and challenges associatedwith increasing diversity in dietetics. In “The Balancing Act of Diversity Initiatives” (p S6), Karen Stein, MFA, lays the foundation for our discussion of diversity by providing an extensive exploration of the rationale behind diversity initiatives and examining the strategies other organizations have employed in pursuit of diversifying their membership and professions. She follows that up with an investigation of one of the more successful methods of increasingdiversity in “The Educational Pipeline and Diversity in Dietetics” (p S13). This article explains the importance of reaching underrepresented groups early in their educational development. Increasing awareness of and exposure to a profession, and providing