Governor appoints ECU dietitian to state board

GREENVILLE, N.C.    —   North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue has appointed Sylvia Escott-Stump, director of the dietetic internship program at East Carolina University, to the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition. 

Sylvia Escott-Stump

Escott-Stump, MA, RD, LDN, will join the seven member board in efforts to oversee the licensure and regulation of persons engaged in the practice of dietetics/nutrition in the state of North Carolina and to maintain educational standards for practitioners. She will serve a three-year term on the board beginning in July 2009.
 
“The licensure board was established to protect North Carolina citizens from individuals who might represent themselves as dietitians or nutritionists when they do not have the background,” said Escott-Stump. “Registered dietitians must complete a four-year BS degree with a great deal of chemistry, biochemistry and physiology. Then they must complete a rigorous supervised practice program before they can sit for the national exam. There is so much misinformation available from the media, sales personnel, and personal trainers that the citizens of our state need protection and clear guidance. I am happy to serve at this level for our citizens.”
 
Escott-Stump received other honors this spring for her outstanding contribution to her profession. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) invited her to present the 46th Lenna Frances Cooper Lecture at the Association’s annual meeting. An invitation to present this lecture is one of the highest honors bestowed by the ADA. She was also named 2009 Member of the Year by the North Carolina Dietetic Association, the highest honor granted a member of the organization. 
 
As a member of the ECU nutrition and dietetics faculty since 1998, Escott-Stump has traveled extensively to speak on nutrition-related topics. She is co-author of the classic textbook, “Krause’s Food, Nutrition, and Diet Therapy,” now in its 12th edition. She is also the author of “Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care,” currently in its 6th edition. She has worked as a clinical dietitian, a director of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, a dietetic internship director, a foodservice director, a consulting dietitian and a clinical nutrition manager. She is also owner of Nutrition Balance, a consulting business in Winterville.

The East Carolina University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the College of Human Ecology offers a bachelor of science degree in nutrition and dietetics – a Didactic Program in Dietetics approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education and the American Dietetic Association. The department also offers an Internet-based master’s degree in nutrition and a dietetic internship program, which prepares students for the qualifying exam for registered dietitians.