Cory Akers
Dietetic Intern
Email:cwakers@uncg.edu
Cory received his Bachelor of Science from UNC Greensboro and his Master of Science from Meredith College. He is a personal trainer and served as a Combat Engineer in the United States Marine Corps. In his free time, you’ll likely catch him riding his motorcycle and enjoying the open roads in the mountains of NC. Cory and his better half, Sarah, have three dogs named Bear, Blue, and Wyatt.
Kendall Allen
Dietetic Intern
Email: keallen2@uncg.edu
Kendall received her Bachelor of Science from North Carolina State University where she studied Nutrition Science and Spanish. During her time at NC State, she worked closely with the sports dietitian to fuel and educate student athletes. Her research interests include implementing sound nutrition education in a concise manner to improve dietary habits across all communities.
Clarice Andoh
Email: dcandoh@uncg.edu
Clarice Andoh earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). At UNCG, she is working in Dr. Jigna M. Dharod lab, focusing on the impact of food insecurity in the first 1,000 days of life. Her research interests include the influence of food insecurity on infants, chronic diseases, and metabolic health.
Morgan Ashley, M.S., RDN
Graduate Assistant
Email: mtashley@uncg.edu
Morgan is earning her Ph.D. under the mentorship of Dr. Lauren Haldeman. Her dissertation project investigates the influence of youth sports on family mealtime practices. Morgan came to UNCG as an Registered Dietitian (RD) with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Russell Sage College and a master’s degree in nutrition from Stony Brook University. Prior to coming to UNCG, she worked in SNAP-Ed and WIC. She looks forward to bringing the skills learned at UNCG back into the workforce to help support families with children in their efforts to eat well.
Danielle Baldizzi, MS
Email: dtbaldizzi@uncg.edu
Danielle received her Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition from the University of Alabama and her Master of Science in Nutrition with a concentration in Sports Nutrition from Nova Southeastern University. She has experience in providing nutrition counseling for the maternal and pediatric population at WIC and has led community nutrition education classes and contributed to nutrition initiatives with SNAP-Ed. Her goal is to become a clinical Registered Dietitian.
Siddique Bawa
Graduate Teaching Associate
Email: sgbawa@uncg.edu
Siddique earned his B.S. in Community Nutrition, and M.Phil. in Community Health and Development from the University for Development Studies in Ghana. He is currently with the Department of Nutrition here at UNCG, pursuing his Doctorate in Nutrition. He works with Dr. Lauren Haldeman, focusing on diet-related chronic diseases.
Taylor Beck
Email: tmbeck3@uncg.edu
Taylor Beck received her B.S. from Appalachian State University and is currently a dietetic intern at UNC Greensboro. She has conducted research in sports nutrition and in primate anatomy. Taylor enjoys working with community gardens and hopes to gain more clinical nutrition experience.
Molly Blondin
Dietetic Intern
Email: meblondin@uncg.edu
Molly received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Iowa State University. In her time at Iowa State, she worked as a sports nutrition intern for the Olympic sports for three years. Molly’s graduate project was a qualitative study with the intent to gain insight from health care partners involved in the Iowa Produce Prescription Program. The Iowa Produce Prescription Program was a project that Molly also helped pilot which provided low-income patients who had diabetes with a “prescription” and monetary allotment to purchase fruits and vegetables. Her career goal is to become a sports RD at a university working with Olympic athletes.
Zachary Bomstein, M.S., RDN
Graduate Assistant
Email: zsbomstein@uncg.edu
Having joined Dr. Allred’s lab in August of 2021, Zach is conducting research into cancer biology and the nutrients/environmental toxins which govern the disease’s progression and prevention. Zach is a 2021 graduate of East Carolina University, where he received his M.S in Nutrition Science as well as his Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential. He received his B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Appalachian State University in 2019. Zach’s past research has been centered around the relationship between micronutrients and disease prevention. At Appalachian State, he worked in the lab of Dr. Martin Root and analyzed chemicals concentrated in the skins of apples known as triterpenoids, compounds with known anti-inflammatory effects. At East Carolina University, he worked closely with Dr. Richard Baybutt and studied the relationship between vitamin A and lung cancer, as well as vitamin A and bone homeostasis. In the future, he hopes to conduct research with the goal of integrating pre-clinical, food-based science into functional dietetics/medical practice.
Mackenzie Brenner, M.S.
Email: mabrenne@uncg.edu
Mackenzie attended UNCG for her undergraduate degree in Nutrition, completing it in 2020. She is completing her masters in nutrition non-thesis, and has participated in some research with Dr. Erikson.
She enjoys crafts such as bracelet making, knitting, sand art, and painting. She also enjoys scuba diving, snow boarding, and creating food art. She’s worked at Moses H. Cone hospital as a Nutrition Services Ambassador for a year and a half, and aspires to become a dietitian!
Megan Byrd
Email: mlbyrd2@uncg.edu
Megan received her Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she received the Provost Excellence Award in Nutrition and graduated with Magna Cum Laude. She has volunteered with the Med Center for Women food pantry and has worked in the dining hall at UNCG as a Nutrition Assistant. With a heart for juvenile diabetes, she plans to work in a clinical setting and aid in the management of this specific disease. She plans to work in this field for a few years to further her skills and knowledge to aid her in becoming an effective and compassionate diabetes educator.
Amanda Cadarette
Dietetic Intern
Email: amcadarette@uncg.edu
Amanda received her Bachelor of Science from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received her Masters of Science in Nutrition with a concentration in Food Security from Meredith College. She is a Registered Dietetic Technician and Certified Lactation Counselor. She worked at the Granville-Vance County WIC office for six years before leaving to complete her DI internship.
Christina Chapman
Graduate Assistant
Email: cmfrazi2@uncg.edu
While in the Master of Nutrition program at UNCG, Christina has been working with Dr. Dharod on the FeeN Infant Feeding and Nutrition Study since Fall of 2019, and as graduate study coordinator since Spring of 2020. This longitudinal study is exploring the relationship between maternal food insecurity and the effects on infant feeding choices from infant’s two months of age to twelve months of age. Christina enjoys being a part of research, and the community aspect of the research she is involved in. plans to continue to be a part of research efforts in her future as a Registered Dietitian!
Prior to coming back to school at UNCG, Christina worked for three years in a hospital setting as a certified nursing assistant after getting her undergraduate degree in Human Biology at NC State University. She wants to work as an RD in a clinical setting and continue to be a part of research efforts in her future as a Registered Dietitian. Christina is excited to be one step close to this goal by being a part of the Dietetic Intern class of 2023!
Domi Chen, M.S.
With the guidance of Dr. Jigna Dharod, Fangshu has been working on her thesis which examines the relationship between water access and maternal and child health in Gambia.
She enjoys doing research and learning the direct effect of nutrition on human health. Before coming to UNCG, she worked as an Advanced Nutrition Aide at the University of Minnesota-Medical Center for a year.
Her future career goal is to have her own holistic healing clinic which allows her to apply both Chinese traditional medicine and Western nutrition/medical technology to enhance human health. She wants to help patients heal physically, mentally, and emotionally.
