Brina Jergenson, a registered dietician at Tempe St. Luke's Hospital, shared her experiences working with patients with eating disorders at a meeting of the Student Nutrition Council Tuesday at ASU's Polytechnic campus.
Jergenson spoke to council members, a mixture of nutrition and pre-medicine students, about her 10 years at the Remuda Ranch, a facility in Arizona for women and girls suffering from eating disorders. She said working with those dealing with bulimia and anorexia is her passion.
"I take great pride in what I do and I like to share it with others," Jergenson said. She added that she wanted to explain how rewarding working with eating-disorder patients can be.
Dominique Thomas, a dietetic student who attended the meeting, said, "I feel that my horizons have been broadened thanks to her vast experiences working with eating-disorder patients and working in a clinical setting."
"This gives others one more view of what is out there in the dietetics world," Thomas added.
Willa Colner, the Student Nutrition Council president, selected Jergenson to speak.
"[Jergenson] has a well-rounded background," Colner said. "And because of this she could touch on many different areas of dietetics."
Jergenson presented a variety of career options within the field of eating disorders and within a clinical setting.
Ryan Heinrick, a human nutrition major and pre-med student, said he liked Jergenson's speech because she had "real-world perspectives."
Heinrick is the historian and Webmaster for the nutrition council. Information about future meetings can be found at www.asunutrition.org.
Reach the reporter at jillian.meyer@asu.edu.
