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Doris M. Piccinin, MS, RD, CDE, CD
Current Roles
Education
- BS in nutrition and biochemistry from the University of Guelph, Ontario Canada, in 1987
- Master's and RD program in nutrition and food science from Wayne State University, Detroit, in 1993
Past Experience
Piccinin worked as an outpatient dietitian at Harborview Medical Center from 1998 to 2005 where she developed a number of nutritional programs, including a weight management program and a non-English-speakers' diabetes education program. During her time at Harborview she provided chronic disease management for the women's, children's, international and family medicine clinics.
Piccinin also conducted home visits and managed a home-delivered meal program for HIV/AIDS patients in Detroit, Michigan, from 1996 to 1998.
She was a renal dietitian from 1994 to 1996 and was community nutritionist with the Detroit Health Department from 1993 to 1994.
Piccinin also worked as a food technologist for entrepreneurial corporations, including Beneficial Yield Insects, contracting to develop organic gardening solutions and healthy alternative food products.
In 2000, Piccinin was the recipient of the Neighbors Who Care award from the American Association of Asian Pacific Islanders, for her work on creating a diabetes program for Vietnamese- and Cambodian-speaking diabetic patients.
Classes Taught
Piccinin developed and currently teaches the Introduction to Dietetics course. In addition, she teaches Food Science at the graduate level, Introduction to Food Science, and Experimental Foods lecture and lab at the undergraduate level. In the past, she has supervised the Immune Wellness interdisciplinary shift at Bastyr Center for Natural Health and has also taught the Contemporary Series: Cultural and Legislative classes.
She is actively involved in curriculum development, program planning and assessment of the quality of the MSN/DPD program. She has been a guest lecturer on cultural dietetics at Bellevue Community College, the University of Washington and Bastyr University since 2000. She has spoken at both local and national conferences in this area at the American Dietetic Association Conference, Diversity RX, Centers for Disease Control, and others.
Interests
Piccinin is a certified diabetic educator and brings this background to the classroom and to the field. She is very interested in current research on resistant starches and the potential role in diabetes and weight management. Since 2005, Piccinin has brought at least 25 students to Camp Leo diabetes camp in Shelton, Washington, to help students gain an understanding about working directly with type 1 diabetic children. In collaboration with the health care team, she has developed diabetes educational games for diabetic children from ages 7 though 13 and will pilot a teen diabetes camp in Spring 2011. She is currently contracting with the health and wellness fair at Microsoft Corporation throughout fall 2010.
As a leader in the field of dietetics, Piccinin is currently the president of the North Sound Dietetic Association and is serving on the planning committee for the Washington State Dietetics Association Conference in Yakima, Washington, in Spring 2011.
Philosophy
Piccinin engages students by employing a variety of educational techniques that allow her students to better understand and assimilate new information.
