In four-year term, associate professor and licensed dietician aims to create better job opportunities for non-physician nutritionists.

National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) faculty member Kimberly Queen, DC, DACBN, MS, CNS, LD, CN has been appointed by Governor Tina Kotek to the Oregon Board of Licensed Dietitians.

Dr. Queen, an associate professor at NUNM and a licensed dietitian, will serve a four-year term from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2028.

“I am deeply honored,” said Dr. Queen, a Doctor of Chiropractic and Diplomate with the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. “I appreciate being chosen and, with great respect, humbly hope to act and speak on behalf of a wider group with a spirit of charity expressed through cultural humility that is driven by concerns for health equity and social justice.”

The Board of Licensed Dietitians oversees the state’s practice of dietitians, who integrate and apply principles derived from the sciences of nutrition, biochemistry, food, management, physiology and behavioral and social sciences to achieve and maintain people’s health through a number of approaches.

Comprised of seven members appointed by the governor, the board includes two members from the general public, one physician trained in clinical nutrition, and four licensed dietitians who have been engaged in dietetic practice for at least five years.

“I have a responsibility and moral obligation to fulfill the board’s mission to be a witness to the truth and conduct myself with honesty, integrity and fairness,” Dr. Queen said, “and to abide with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning the practice of dietetics.”

In 2018, Dr. Queen joined the faculty at NUNM, where she teaches courses in the BScN/MScN programs and serving as Clinical Nutrition Curriculum Director in the School of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies.

She was recently appointed to the Accreditation Council for Nutrition Professional Education (ACNPE) task force to develop accreditation guidelines for the Supervised Clinical Nutrition Practice Experience.

Before teaching full-time at NUNM, she practiced clinical nutrition for 23 years.

“By nature, I am a bridge builder, endeavoring to promote mutual understanding and cohesiveness among individuals and groups with contrasting points of view,” Dr. Queen said. “I hope to consistently focus on maintaining inclusivity and positive communication among the Board and citizens of Oregon.”

Dr. Queen said she hopes to advocate for inclusivity of advanced-degreed nutritionists to educate constituents about master’s level nutrition programs whose graduates are qualified nutrition providers and Certified Nutrition Specialists (CNS).

She also aims to help amend the Oregon statutes to allow a direct pathway for CNSs to obtain licensure in Oregon, which will create better job opportunities for non-physician nutritionists to provide personalized medical nutrition therapy healthcare services for individuals and communities of Oregon.