ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024 SUMMARY

By: Annamarie Rodriguez, RDN, LD, FAND

The 2024 WAND Annual Conference was successful with just under 150 attendees in-person, and 16 exhibitors/vendors.

The theme, Driving Change Through Health and Wellness, resonated throughout all of the speaker topics and one of our general session presentations spoke in depth about the six pillars of lifestyle medicine (including whole-food, plant-dominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections) which wove through many of the additional presentations surrounding management of wellness to optimize health and reduce incidence of chronic disease. Many of the participants were extremely intrigued in incorporating a holistic approach in patient and community education and there was an abundance of audience discussion exhibiting interest in the credential. From an attendee: "Appreciate being made aware of ACLM board certification and what it can add to the RDN's practice opportunities" Because the field of dietetics is highly evolving with a higher focus on wellness and wellness coaching, and the Academy placing a higher focus on wellness and well-being, this speaker, and the theme, was insightful.

Another general session on Precision Nutrition was also very well received with positive attendee feedback. Both interest and general thought is that DNA testing "is the way of the future and the future is now" regarding nutrition health interventions.

There were many questions regarding the ACLM board certification and how to earn the credential, so we’d like to share this information:

To become certified in Lifestyle Medicine Practice, one will meet the following:

• Preparation includes 30 hours of CME prerequisite from an approved online course and 20 hours of CME prerequisite from an approved event (approved courses and events are listed on the site provided).

• Register for the ACLM exam and submit the prerequisites 30 or more days prior to the exam date.

• Health profession and beginning in 2024, only those holding bachelor’s degrees in fields now requiring a master’s level are grandfathered in (dietitians, pharmacists, physician associates).

• Pass the exam which includes between 120 and 150 multiple choice questions in under four hours.

• Of note, to certify, one must hold a Masters or Doctorate degree in a health or allied health profession and beginning in 2024, only those holding bachelor’s degrees in fields now requiring a master’s level are grandfathered in (dietitians, pharmacists, physician associates).

• For detailed information, visit: https://lifestylemedicine.org/certification/

Or if you prefer to enjoy the complimentary access to the 5.5-hour CDR CPEU-approved Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine Essentials online course for FREE – a $220 value. This bundled course consists of three modules and four presentations.

To access the course, select REGISTER NOW at www.lifestylemedicine.org/essentials and log in or create an ACLM account, and enter promo code ESS-AND at check out. *Promo code should be free-typed; copy-paste may result in an error.

The annual WAND conference included sessions such as women’s health and PCOS, FDA and nutrition education objectives, wellness teaching strategies, physical activity, DNA testing and nutrition, planting changes through nutrition, the Mediterranean diet and the six pillars of health, malnutrition in a changing environment and diverse communities, meal timing and weight management, and legalities on practicing in wellness, in addition to our keynote session by our now President of the Academy, Livleen Gill, MBA, RDN, LDN, FAND.

A key highlight throughout these presentations were the recurring themes from attendees: enjoyed speakers from other fields, content (and practice) diversity, applicable/practical information, and thoughts surrounding wishing that some of the content presented was offered as course curriculum for those seeking dietitian degrees.

Of course, among successful meetings there are bound to be challenges! One of our speakers was unable to present live, thus presented virtually and this did not resonate well for several of the attendees at the live conference, though a hybrid approach can lend to cost savings as well, thus would need to be further evaluated.

The challenges are eclipsed by positive outcomes! The education, location, venue were all well received and attendees stated the “best parts” were learning about hot topics, Kahoot’s, and networking. Speaking of networking, which was highly favorable in the event evaluation, we would be remiss if we did not give a shout out to Mount Mary for sponsoring the Networking Reception complete with appetizers and mocktails (anyone need the recipes?). There was very warm and wonderful feedback on the Networking Reception, and we are glad you enjoyed it!

Another shout-out to the students participating in the Poster Session; we were honored you shared your work with members and here are several comments:

• I love listening to the students – great opportunity for them!

• It was helpful for me to also be a poster judge. It helped me to feel more engaged. May help for all participants to be able to view posters online to review and be able to ask students more specific questions (Great idea!)

• I stopped at most of the posters and found them interesting, though not all relevant to my industry. It is great to see the depth and consideration that was put forth, and this is a great experience for people interested in research… good, usable research.

Thank you also to the Poster Session judges, who are invaluable in the process!

A reoccurring sentiment in the survey was to include more sponsors/vendors and we are thinking in advance about the daunting task of sponsorship, and we know

that without our sponsors we cannot provide a conference. Speaking of sponsors, WAND was extremely fortunate to be the recipient of funding through the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment which helped defray the expenses surrounding speaker fees and travel expenses. Additionally, both Vegetarian Nutrition DPG and Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine DPG both provided speaker stipends. Our additional exhibitors included:

• Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialist

• Mount Mary University

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

• University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

• Global Health Products

• Medtrition/Simply Thick/Aladdin

• Wisconsin Beef Council

• Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Foundation

• U.S. Army

• Rogers Behavioral Health

• Nutrigenomix

• FDA

• Eat Move Groove

We thank all our Sponsors and look forward to seeing everyone in Madison on April 3 & 4 for the 2025 Annual WAND Conference!