Dana Juarez

• Provides Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for a diverse caseload, addressing the unique dietary needs of each patient through personalized guidance and recommendations to meet their lifestyle, age, and cultural needs.
• Specialties include eating disorders, intuitive eating, enteral nutrition, bariatric (pre and post) surgery, diabetes management, and cardiovascular nutrition therapy.
• Assess effectiveness of nutrition interventions by tracking measurable outcomes such as symptom reduction, improvements in lab values, or weight change.
• Developed and updated comprehensive patient education materials for various medical conditions.
• Core member of the multidisciplinary Eating Disorder Programs for adult and teens. RD role is to provide nutrition therapy during outpatient medical clinic visits and collaborate with physician and therapist to develop treatment plans.
• Utilizes motivational interviewing techniques to empower patients in making lasting lifestyle changes towards improved health outcomes.
• Continuously support fellow dietitians through mentorship and collaboration on challenging cases.
• Continuously collaborate with healthcare team members to optimize patient care through interdisciplinary communication and coordination.
• Mentored dietetic interns, providing guidance on MNT skills development and supporting growth within the field of dietetics.
• Provide constructive feedback to improve regional program curriculum.
• Screening referrals and systematically assigning appropriate services.
• Keep current with emerging research trends in nutrition science through continuing education opportunities and professional conferences.
• Compliant with maintaining continuing education requirements for RD and CDCCES credentials.
• Proficient using EMR (Epic), Microsoft Office, Teams, Blackboard and Zoom.

Most recent years at Kaiser:

• Collaborated with healthcare professionals to update and implement health education programs: Thriving Families (3 workshop series), Prediabetes: Preventing Diabetes, and Lifestyle and Weight Management.
• During COVID modified all in-person workshops and 1:1 visits to virtual using various platforms (Blackboard, HCA, Teams, Zooms). Currently providing both virtual and in-person workshops and 1:1 visits.
• Co-created Making Peace with Food Program. A 10-week program geared for those seeking a healthier relationship with food and who are pre or post bariatric surgery. Sessions are facilitated by a licensed therapist and a registered dietitian.
• Presentations to departmental staff and Kaiser staff on various topics related to eating disorders, Intuitive Eating, and physical activity.

Early years at Kaiser:

• A past 4+ year member of the Unit Based Team (UBT) (committee composed of team members representing each union within our department). The UBT committee focused on improving departmental communication, morale, and strategies to improve attendance.
• Previously part of multidisciplinary pediatric clinics that provided education to children/teens and their families related to diabetes and weight management.
• Developed and delivered engaging nutrition education presentations for various Kaiser staff and community groups. Topics included nutrition and colon cancer, pediatric nutrition guidelines, increasing awareness of our healthy families programs, and advocating for the younger generation.
• Collaborated with fellow dietitians to put on National Nutrition Month events for staff and maintain health education displays within the medical center.
• Participation in monthly eating disorder meetings geared toward patient cases and treatment plans, how to improve the effectiveness of the program, and streamline processes.

As the Dietitian for Cardiac Rehabilitation:

• Provided 1:1 nutrition education, primarily related to heart, blood pressure, food drug interaction(s), and diabetes, as well as incorporating any other specific dietary needs.
• Facilitated group education sessions, fostering a supportive environment for patients to share experiences and challenges.
• Assisted patients in setting realistic goals, provided ongoing support and motivation throughout their rehabilitation journey.
• Created educational materials and workshop curriculum following American Heart Association's evidenced based dietary guidelines.
• Created extracurriculars to aid in optimizing patient's success in cardiac rehab, i.e. tasting of heart healthy recipes, a monthly nutrition education board, samples of heart healthy products.
• Collaborated with our multidisciplinary team to optimize patient care and ensure continuity in treatment plans.
• Maintained accurate and Joint Commission complaint records of patient progress, and communicated findings with the team for coordinated care efforts.

As a Clinical Dietitian:

• Provided hospital wide relief coverage, including ICU, NICU, med surg, cardiac unit, rehabilitation, etc
• Responsible for nutrition screenings, assessments, and developed individualized nutrition care plans.
• Provided basic nutrition education to patients and family appropriate for the hospital setting.
• Optimized nutritional support by providing assessments and recommendations for initiating or adjusting enteral and parenteral nutrition support.
• Communicated regularly with physicians and other healthcare professionals, providing updates on patient progress and recommendations for ongoing care management.
• Participated in food service quality testing.
• Coordinated and organized with a committee to provide hospital wide Health Fairs.
• Functioned as an active team member of the Food and Nutrition Services Department.

• Temporarily worked at various medical facilities contracting Aramark Food Services.
• Performed peer reviews within Aramark contracted Food and Nutrition Departments.
• Provided temporary coverage as a Clinical Dietitian.

• Performed nutrition screenings, assessments, and developed individualized nutrition care plans for patients within the cardiac, respiratory, med surg, ICU, CSU, OB/Gyn, and rehabilitation units.
• Provided basic nutrition education to patients and family appropriate for the hospital setting.
• Optimized nutritional support by providing assessments and recommendations for initiating or adjusting enteral and parenteral nutrition support.
• Communicated regularly with physicians and other healthcare professionals, providing updates on patient progress and recommendations for ongoing care management.
• Participated in food service quality testing.
• Functioned as an active team member of the Food and Nutrition Services Department.
• Supervised the work of diet technicians, ensuring proper completion of tasks such as nutrient analysis calculations or menu modifications based on dietary restrictions.
• Mentored dietetic interns, providing guidance on clinical skills development and supporting growth within the field of dietetics.
• Provided educational in-services to food service staff.

• Managed food inventory efficiently, reducing waste and maintaining optimal stock levels of a 165-bed community hospital.
• Maintained a safe working environment by enforcing strict adherence to workplace safety guidelines.
• Optimized food production processes, streamlining operations while maintaining quality standards.
• Coordinated catering services for special events held at the medical center.
• Established strong relationships with vendors, negotiating favorable terms for bulk purchases and securing reliable supply channels.
• Established and monitored staff schedules, made assignment sheets and monitored menus.
• Maintained food at proper operating temperatures, trained team in food safety and documented required temperatures.

• Maintained duties as described for Food and Nutrition Manager as well as overseeing the 15-person kitchen staff.
• Managed staff schedules and maintained adequate coverage for all shifts.
• Effectively managed budgets for patient and cafeteria meals and efficiently managed catering reimbursement and accounts payable for a 165-bed community hospital.
• Oversaw daily operations in the kitchen, ensuring timely meal preparation, and delivery for catered events, and busy dining periods.
• Maintained high standards of cleanliness and sanitation, ensuring compliance with all health department and Joint Commission regulations.
• Monitored food quality and freshness during all stages of preparation, storage, and service to ensure consistently excellent dining experiences for guests.
• Developed a detailed contingency plan for Y2K to maintain business as usual for patients and staff.