Mallonee nabs award for dental hygiene, dietetic interprofessional practical experience

In 2004, Lisa Mallonee developed an innovative clinical rotation that gives dietetic interns at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas the opportunity to work collaboratively with dental hygiene students at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry.

A decade after serving as a preceptor for the dietetic internship and developing the experience, Mallonee, a registered dietitian and associate professor in dental hygiene, continues to coordinate the program. As part of the clinical rotation, dietetic interns partner with dental hygiene students to provide diet screening and patient counseling at the dental school with a goal of increased understanding of the connection between dietetics and oral health.

Mallonee’s efforts landed her the 2014 Excellence in Nutrition Educators of Health Professionals Award, given by the Nutrition Education of Health Professionals Dietary Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Cynthia Stegeman, a professor of dental hygiene at the University of Cincinnati, registered dietitian and an Ohio delegate to the academy, nominated Mallonee for the award, referring to the rotation experience as “an incredible intertwining of learning and sharing between dietetic and dental hygiene students.”