{"id":8415,"date":"2026-09-19T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8415"},"modified":"2026-09-19T20:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T20:30:00","slug":"va-ann-arbor-dietetic-intern-makes-lasting-impact-on-veteran-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8415","title":{"rendered":"VA Ann Arbor dietetic intern makes lasting impact on Veteran health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-09-19T20:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nutrition essential to achieving health goals<\/h2>\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=VA+Ann+Arbor\">VA Ann Arbor<\/a>, dietetics internship graduate Enid Aguirre is making a profound impact on the health of local Veterans through the new Dietetic Internship Program.<\/p>\n<p>VA has 23 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dieteticinternship.va.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">dietetic internship program<\/a> locations across the country. This particular program, which welcomed its first class in August 2025, is the only VA program of its kind in Michigan and educates dietetic interns through hands-on training in a collaborative environment focused on Veteran-centered care.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Improving Veteran health<\/h2>\n<p>For retired Coast Guard Veteran Daniel Benfield, working with Aguirre, along with participating in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/GERIATRICS\/pages\/gerofit_Home.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Gerofit<\/a>, a VA program that promotes exercise and health for older Veterans, has improved his health tremendously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt all started out with us being required to submit our daily food records over a period of time, and I got written feedback from her,\u201d said Benfield. \u201cShe\u2019s very forthcoming, very polite and very knowledgeable in her suggestions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The feeling is mutual for Aguirre; working with Veterans has been both meaningful and informative to her growth as a health professional. She learns most when Veterans share stories about their experience on active duty or after their service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of times, it\u2019ll relate to their relationship with food or their routines or just different lifestyle habits,\u201d said Aguirre. \u201cFor me, having those Veterans who are open and honest and wanting to share their stories not only allows for me to better serve that Veteran but every Veteran I may work with in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to her training, Aguirre is committed to creating accessible resources to support Veterans and their families by using videos to help them learn about healthy meal options and nutrition. Her participation in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/Healthy_Teaching_Kitchen.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Healthy Teaching Kitchen<\/a> video program is just one of the ways she makes nutrition education more available for Veterans. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LQLCO7zHGYI\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a>, she prepares huevos rancheros with Spanish subtitles, helping Veterans and their families learn simple, healthy cooking techniques they can use every day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so important to have resources, especially when we\u2019re talking in terms of nutrition, having those healthy options and knowing how to make different meals,\u201d said Aguirre. \u201cIt\u2019s just been really really exciting to be able to participate in the Healthy Teaching Kitchen, and I\u2019m excited to make some more videos in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-shortcode\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Measuring success<\/h2>\n<p>Though it has only been a year, the dietetic internship program has seen success at all levels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had all four interns graduate on time,\u201d said Bethany Oxender, dietetic internship director, who holds a master\u2019s degree and is a registered dietitian nutritionist. \u201cAll four of them have gotten jobs, with three of the four staying with VA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oxender said this speaks to the purpose behind their program and the reasons it was launched a year ago. \u201cOur core mission in starting this program was wanting to train the best and keep the best,\u201d she said. \u201cThis internship was inspired by Veterans to bring the best clinicians into the facility, and I feel we have done that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aguirre is among those who stayed with VA after her training because she saw how VA supported employees by providing resources needed to grow in their career. \u201cI just really saw how VA focuses on the individual and giving you the tools and resources to be able to grow as an individual, to contribute to your department and then ultimately, to provide better care for each and every Veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spreading the word<\/h2>\n<p>Benfield is grateful for the expertise and encouragement he has received from Aguirre and wants other Veterans to use the benefits offered by VA. \u201cI think everyone could benefit from talking to a nutritionist,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been with VA\u2019s Gerofit program since 2023 and just completed my 500th workout. It\u2019s helped me out a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nutrition is more than just food. It\u2019s an essential part of helping Veterans achieve their health goals, a feat VA Ann Arbor accomplishes by offering expert guidance, personalized care and innovative programs designed specifically for Veterans\u2019 unique needs.<\/p>\n<p>Trainees like Aguirre are among the 124,000 health professions trainees educated by VA every year, overseen by VA\u2019s Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). Find more information about <a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/vha\/academic-affiliations\/\" rel=\"noopener\">OAA and VA\u2019s education mission<\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/149655\/dietetic-intern-lasting-impact-veteran-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graduates of VA Ann Arbor\u2019s new dietetic internship are changing Veteran lives through personalized care and expert guidance designed to address unique needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA Ann Arbor dietetic intern makes lasting impact on Veteran health - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Graduates of VA Ann Arbor\u2019s new dietetic internship are changing Veteran lives through personalized care and expert guidance designed to address unique needs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8415\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA Ann Arbor dietetic intern makes lasting impact on Veteran health - 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