Nan Allison, MS, RD, LDN

Undergraduate: Bachelor of Science, Nutrition, University of TN
Graduate: Masters of Science, Nutrition, Tufts University
Internship: Dietetic Internship, Frances Stern Nutrition Center, New England Medical Center Hospital
Traineeship in Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Developmental Disabilities, University of TN Child Development Center
Current Position: Owner, Nan Allison Nutrition Consulting, Inc.; TDA lobbyist
Number of years in practice: 18 years in private practice, 7 years as part-time lobbyist for TDA.

Could you briefly describe your practice:

All ages, men and women, mostly people who struggle with making changes in their diets. Many have tried and tried. Others, like teenagers and young children, are just beginning to explore and discover their bodies and food needs.

What is the most challenging aspect of counseling clients with disordered eating?

Scheduling.

What would you recommend for RDs who aspire to begin a private practice?

Learn how to counsel, get weekly/monthly supervision from a professional who is a recognized expert in psychotherapy/experiential therapy.

You are a lobbyist for TDA. Describe this role and how you got involved in it:

I have always been interested in politics...and community action, public life, how the world works. I had volunteered with TDA legislative activities off and on and served briefly as legislative chair when I first started my private practice. In 1997, I read in the Volunteer Newsletter that TDA was devoting it's money and time to getting the diabetes coverage law passed, I called Mary Ann Smith who was TDA president at the time to volunteer my efforts. She said that the board wanted hire me to complete some surveys of providers and to help collect data for the purpose of justifying the need for insurance coverage of nutrition services and supplies for people with diabetes. This involved work with other groups (Tennessee Pharmacists Association and The TN. affiliate of the American Diabetes Association) who partnered with TDA in the effort.

After the diabetes coverage law was enacted, TDA asked me to stay on a part-time basis (averaging 40 hours per month) as administrator and to keep up with healthcare issues in the state legislature and maintain a presence for TDA in any health care policy discussions that were occurring.in which TDA. My role is to keep TDA informed of legislative and policy initiatives that would affect the practice of dietetics and provision of nutrition services in this state and to represent TDA on on policy matters. This does not mean that TDA members don't and shouldn't be doing this as well.

In the last three years, TDA and its members took a proactive role in helping to pass regulations to ensure healthy vending machine options in our elementary and middle schools. While this was not an issue that ADA encouraged its members to become involved in, the decision was that TDA could not remain silent on the issue and nor let other groups take the lead in.

My role is to work with or find TDA members who can provide expertise to groups who are working on issues where nutrition is a concern, or should be a concern.

Much of the way I do this making sure that I am down at the legislature during session (lobbyists find out much of their knowledge and have their influence in the Lobby of the legislature), going to political events, volunteering for a political candidate, being a an active member/board member of a couple of political organizations (like the Tennessee Women's Political Caucus).

What do you see for the future of dietetics?

While we will continue to do research and practice on medical nutrition therapy and biochemistry and food science, I see that we can change the face of health care, substantially reducing and eliminating the need for medications and invasive procedures by offering new ways to eat, and enjoy eating, helping people to explore and discover their own needs...that we will be more involved in the day to day living of people's lives...not in a medical way, but in a very practical way, like finding new ways of helping people learn the skills of shopping and cooking and eating out, and at the institutional level being more a part of schools and cafeterias and restaurants, affecting corporate dining programs, restaurants. Actually the practice of medicine is crying out for our skills....many of which we have never really had a chance ourselves, to teach. We have great new opportunities, if we seize them now, to help people avoid the use of medications for conditions that are narrowly treated by drugs. We will be columnists, authors, talk show, news and radio hosts.

We will be CEO's and leaders of new health care ventures and disease management and lifestyle programs, because nutrition and food will be the primary health care commodity that people will purchase.

We will do this by:

expanding our knowledge and skill base beyond just nutrition facts. We will do it with additional expertise in leadership, psychology, education, counseling, public relations/marketing, anthropology, business/finance....and...most importantly by making sure that we INTEGRATE nutrition and dietetics and, the nutrition professional, into the fabric of business, schools, food service, community service organizations, life.
partnering with other professionals and business and communities...not acceding, but partnering...taking the lead in establishing partnerships, especially the nutrition component, with pharmacists, doctors, nurses, hospitals, schools, clinics, communities, government programs, restaurant owners, chefs, farmers.....etc.