D. Milton Stokes, PhD, MPH, RD, FAND
Getting to know….D. Milton Stokes, PhD, MPH, RD, FAND
Cesar Fajardo who is currently in the Dietetic Internship Program at California State University, San Bernardino intern is the luckiest student ever as he was able to connect and interview the one and only Milton Stokes. If you don’t already know how fabulous Milton is, now you will!
Cesar Fajardo: You have had quite a varied career from working as an internship director to public relations and more. What is your proudest professional moment?
Milton Stokes: I have enjoyed a varied career with many thrilling experiences. One of the proudest is when I was inducted as an honorary member of the Nutritionist-Dietitians Association of the Philippines.
CF: You authored "Launching Your Career in Nutrition and Dietetics" a few years ago. I am in the middle of my internship. Can you share two tips for studying for and passing the registration exam?
MS: I took a review course and then made note cards to review daily during my commute to work. I made the best of my 45 minutes on the NYC subway!
CF: What advice do you have for an early career dietitian who might be interested in going into media and communications?
MS: Set a goal for what you want to accomplish and then find more dietitians doing that so you can network with and learn from them. That worked for me. I saw a colleague who wrote for a magazine that I admired, so I reached out to him to ask how he did that. I also read several books on how to work with magazines as a freelancer. Then I pitched that magazine, and they accepted my idea. Things took off from there.
CF: The International Food Information Council where you are Senior Director of Food and Nutrition is a science-based organization. What are some other great resources you could share with me when consumers ask for accurate information on nutrition topics?
MS: The International Food Information Council, or IFIC, is a nonprofit consumer research and science communication organization. We create content for dietitians, scientists, and other health professionals who work with and communicate to the public. One of our newer resources is the IFIC science communication guidance document. In addition, you can find a lot of resources for consumers at www.foodinsight.org.
CF: I would like to know more about working in the agriculture space as I saw you worked at Monsanto and Bayer Crop Science. What tips can you share to learn more about this area?
MS: Approach it with curiosity. There's a ton of inaccurate information about food and farming. Identify credible sources to inform your thinking. Examples include farmers, ranchers, commodity boards, the Center for Food Integrity, and the organization I work for, IFIC.
CF: What current trend in the food and nutrition space do you find encouraging and\or alarming?
MS: I am heartened by the action to lower sodium in the food supply. FDA has issued voluntary guidance for reduction, and we're seeing the food industry take positive action.