FNCE 2025

FNCE® Nashville, TN
October 11-14, 2025

Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo®
Each fall, the Academy hosts the world's largest meeting of food and nutrition experts. RDNs, NDTRs, researchers, policymakers, healthcare providers, and industry leaders attend FNCE® to address key nutrition issues affecting the health of all communities.

DIFM’s Rhythm and Boots Member Reception
Sunday, Oct 12, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Central time
Omni Hotel, Broadway Ballroom F, 250 Rep. John Lewis Way, S, Nashville, TN 37203

Join us for a fun-filled member reception in Nashville! Kick up your heels with classic line dancing and delicious bites while we celebrate with our DIFM members. Line up and let loose! Free for DIFM members. 
Attendees: Please complete the event waiver here  

Thank you to our Sponsors!
Stop by the Sponsor Booths at the DIFM Member Reception





Action Needed: Please sign waiver for DIFM Member Reception

As part of your participation in our FNCE® event, we kindly ask that you complete the event waiver using the link below. This step is required to help us ensure a safe and positive experience for all attendees.   

Complete the Waiver Here  (It should take less than 1 minute!)

Event name: Rhythm and Boots Member Reception

Event date and time: Sunday, October 12, 2025, from 05:30 PM to 07:30 PM (CT)

Event location: Omni Hotel, Broadway Ballroom F, 250 Rep. John Lewis Way, S, Nashville, TN 37203

Reminder: The hosting DPG will provide hors d’oeuvres and drinks, with a cash bar available. Enjoy line dancing instruction led by a professional company!

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DIFM Takes the Stage at FNCE® 2025!

We’re proud to share that over 30 DIFM members are presenting or moderating in sessions at FNCE® this year! From food as medicine to cultural nutrition insights, billing strategies, and cutting-edge clinical care, our members are leading conversations that shape the future of dietetics.

Sunday, October 12, 2025 

8:00 – 9:00 AM

  • School Share Table Success: Strategies for Food Safety, Feasibility, Launch, and Maintenance — Justine Britten (Speaker)
  • A Culture-Forward Look at Food, Nutrition, and Flavor Trends — Jackie Topol (Moderator)

9:30 – 11:00 AM

  • Immigrants, Refugees, and Migrant Workers: Building Better Food Banks to End Hunger and Food Insecurity — Lauri Wright (Speaker)

1:00 – 2:30 PM

  • Weighing the Opportunities: Optimizing Obesity Treatment for Healthy Aging — Alison Duffey (Moderator)
  • Short Bowel Syndrome and Ostomy Care: Collaborative Strategies for Better Outcomes — Pamela Bonney (Moderator)
  • Checks & Balances: Independent Decision-Making in AI-Facilitated Adolescent Nutrition Assessment — Nadine Braunstein (Speaker)
  • Turn Nutrition Services into Profit: Essential Billing & Coding Strategies for RDNs — Cami Eastman (Speaker)
  • Protein Needs in CKD: Balancing Guidelines for Low vs. Higher Protein Diets — Jen Hernandez (Speaker)

1:30 – 2:30 PM

  • Building Bridges of Trust: Nutrition-Focused Consumer Insights from the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey — Deanne Brandstetter & Lauri Wright (Speakers)

3:00 – 4:30 PM

  • Beyond the 6%: Why Male Representation in Dietetics Matters to All of Us — John Wesley McWhorter (Moderator)
  • Advocacy in Action: Expanding MNT Access and Payment through Real-World Successes — Jeremy Ponds (Speaker), Manju Karkare (Moderator)
  • Diagnosing Malnutrition in Complex Disease States — Amy Ellis (Speaker)
  • Enhancing Nutrition Through Cultural Adaptation: Perspectives & Realities in AAPI, Black, Latino, & South Asian Indian Communities — Sudha Raj (Speaker), Elizabeth Gutierrez (Moderator), Denine Rogers (Speaker)
  • Ketogenic Diets as Evidence-Based Therapies for Neurologic, Endocrine, and Psychiatric Disorders — Beth Zupec Kania (Speaker)

Monday, October 13, 2025

8:00 – 9:00 AM

  • Exploring Food Behaviors, Diet Quality, and Nutrition Counseling Among Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury — Linda Knol (Moderator)
  • From Clients to Community: Building a Sustainable Subscription-Based Business as a Dietitian — Joyce Faraj-Ardura (Speaker)

10:00 – 11:30 AM

  • Empowering Dietitians in the Management of Obesity Medications — Kellene Isom (Speaker)
  • Applying an Integrative Lens: Functional Medicine Meets MNT for Comprehensive Patient Care — Adair Anderson (Speaker), Melissa Azzaro (Speaker), Holly Van Poots (Moderator)
  • Building a Resilient Workforce: RDN/NDTR Retention and Engagement Strategies — Gisele Leger (Speaker)

12:45 – 1:05 PM (Learning Lounge)

  • GLP-1 Agonists & Fertility: What Dietitians Need to Know — Rachelle Mallik (Speaker)

3:30 – 5:00 PM

  • From Pilot to Policy: Late-Breaking Updates on Food as Medicine and Medicaid Integration — Christina Chai (Moderator)
  • Advancing Type 2 Diabetes Management with Plant-Based Diets — Manju Karkare (Speaker)
  • What’s in Your Fuel Kit? Data from Wearable Technology in Practice — Leslie Bonci (Speaker)
  • From Kitchen to Clinic: Addressing Cross-Contact, Dining Challenges, and Myths in Celiac Disease — Melinda Dennis (Moderator)

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

8:00 – 9:30 AM

  • Treating the Trifecta: Mast Cell Disease, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and POTS — Nicole (Niki) Strealy (Speaker), Renee Euler (Moderator)

10:00 – 11:00 AM

  • Empowering Dietitians in Value-Based Care: Foundations and Career Pathways — John Wesley McWhorter (Moderator)
  • Emerging Endoscopic Bariatric & Metabolic Therapies: Essential Role of the RDN — Lacie Peterson (Moderator)
  • From Misunderstood to Mission-Critical: Elevating Dietitian Influence Across Industries — Amy Ellis (Moderator)
  • Empathy in Action: Enhancing Teaching Practices for RDNs and Preceptors — Jennifer Bridenbaugh (Speaker)

12:00 – 1:30 PM

  • Beyond the Stage: Interdisciplinary Care for the Mental, Nutritional, and Physical Wellbeing of Performing Artists — Yasi Ansari (Speaker), Leslie Bonci (Moderator)