Massachusetts Dietitians Education Foundation (MDEF)
2024 Day of Giving
Small Change, Big Impact
Please consider donating below to support your fellow dietitians!
Listen to the message below from our MAND president
Scholarship applications are now open for 2024!
For 2024, MDEF will be giving out two MDEF scholarships and one MDEF Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) scholarship to deserving nutrition students, each in the amount of $1500. Please pass along to any nutrition students or interns who may be eligible to apply! All applications are due by May 31st. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
2024 MDEF Scholarship Application
2024 MDEF IDEA Scholarship Application
| Launch an RD, get a tax deduction!
The Scholarship fund needs your help desperately. With just a $5 donation you can help fund three $1500 scholarships for this year. Donate today! |
Easily donate through:
- Venmo - @mdef-mass. This account is located under "Business Accounts" in Venmo.
- PayPal - click the donate button above
- Check - Mailing address: Massachusetts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, PO BOX 68, Medway, MA 02053
About MDEF
The Massachusetts Dietitian’s Education Foundation (MDEF) is a nonprofit (501c3) organization founded by the Massachusetts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (MAND). Its purpose is to serve as a fundraising and charitable foundation for nutrition in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with the goal of providing financial support for the education and recognition of dietitians in the form of scholarships and awards. Every year MDEF provides scholarships to outstanding individuals seeking undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees and dietetic internships in the field of nutrition.
| To Donate to the Scholarship Fund:
With only a very modest endowment that does not generate sufficient funds to be self-sustaining, we rely on member donations and sponsors to keep the scholarships going. Click Donate below to make your gift to MDEF. |
| Volunteers Wanted:
MDEF is seeking volunteers with fundraising experience to help raise funding for scholarships. Please consider donating your time in exchange for flexible hours, nice colleagues and the satisfaction that your efforts are going to a critical purpose. For more information, email Lisa Lombardini MS, RD, LDN at massMDEF@gmail.com. |
Meet our 2022 MDEF Scholarship Winners!
Grace Mooshian
Dietetic Intern at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
I discovered dietetics through a life-long passion for cooking and creating meaningful connections. I hope to work in clinical pediatrics; to empower my patients to self-advocate, foster healthy relationships with food, and equip them with knowledge to make informed nutrition decisions.
Isabel McDonnell
Master's and CPD Student at Framingham State University
As a childhood cancer survivor, my diagnosis has fueled my interest in oncology dietetics as I have spent years researching the connection between cancer and diet. Most feel powerless when it comes to cancer and other chronic illnesses and I desire to help individuals reclaim a sense of control over their health both physically and mentally, as I have done, through the power of food.
Gabriella Rao
Didactic Program in Dietetics student as Simmons University
As a lifelong foodie and avid runner, I was drawn to nutrition and dietetics when I realized how nutrition can transform running performance and how many runners struggle with their relationship with food. I plan to one day own a dietetics practice which promotes the idea that "all foods fit," working with runners to help them improve their relationship with food and understand the importance of nutrition for optimal performance.
