FSHN Professor Earns Top Honor for Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors
By Ethan Stoetzer
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Assistant Clinical Professor Nicole Tramp was recently named a 2022 Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) Outstanding Dietetic Educator Award Winner for the West Central Region.
The NDEP is an organizational unit within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The Outstanding Dietetics Educator Award recognizes the teaching, mentoring, and leadership activities of faculty and preceptors in dietetics education programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.
“Nicole is a deserving recipient of the Outstanding Educator award,” said Master of Professional Practice (MPP) in Dietetics Program Director Mridul Data. “She is an absolute joy to work with and is a strong student advocate and mentor. She always goes the extra mile and uses student-centered techniques to actively engage her students to help them learn and succeed to become competent Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. I am looking forward to her continued contributions as we grow the MPP.”
Tramp is a Certified Diabetes Care and Educational Specialist (CDES) with prior experience as a diabetes educator, and guides students through care plans for their clinical patients during their supervised experiential learning courses.
“With the many changes to the advancing dietetics profession and future education model programs,” Tramp said, “it is an honor to be identified as a leader in this category. We are truly blazing new trails for other future education model programs to follow.”
Tramp’s favorite part about being an educator for future Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) is the mentorship component throughout the program. She likes helping students transition and grow from students to professionals, leaving her mark for future educators to come.
“As a Registered Dietitian and Clinical Faculty, I am teaching students to be the educators and nutrition experts for their patients/clients and communities,” Tramp said. “How and what we teach our future dietitians can make an impact on the communities they serve. And if we’re lucky enough, those past graduates will someday serve as preceptors for future students to continue the growth of our profession.”