Idaho State Professor Set to Receive Doctorate and Serve on an Ad Hoc Advisory Board

Idaho State University Nutrition and Dietetics Assistant Professor, Barbara Gordon, is set to graduate with her doctorate in Educational Leadership with an Instructional Design and Technology Concentration, Ed.D in December 2021 from Idaho State University’s College of Education. Upon graduation, Gordon will be serving as one of the 10 subject matter experts for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

The Academy, the professional association representing nutrition and dietetic professionals in the United States, annually seeks the input from its 120,000 members regarding critical issues within the field of nutrition and dietetics. Additionally, an email is sent to each member with a request for subject matter experts on each critical topic. Gordon responded to a subject matter expert call for the topic, “Developing Collaborative-Ready Practitioners.” 

Gordon submitted her credentials and included a summary of her dissertation research revolving around interprofessional education learning needs of nutrition and dietetic students. Gordon’s dissertation titled “Preparing Future Dietitians for Interprofessional Collaboration: Employing an Evidence-Based Instructional Design Approach to Solve the Wicked Problem of Interprofessional Education” focused on the challenges of interprofessional education (IPE). The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics requires the inclusion of IPE experiences for nutrition and dietetic students. Current efforts to sustain IPE experiences, however, have been problematic, thus, labeling IPE as a wicked problem. Her findings, which utilized the Participatory Action Research and Systems Evaluation for Interprofessional Education, provide program directors and faculty members with actionable recommendations for developing sustainable IPE activities for nutrition and dietetic students.

Gordon, along with nine other Academy members with different backgrounds, was selected to serve on the Ad Hoc Advisory Board offering strategic guidance on interprofessional collaboration. Each year the Academy works on a handful of critical issues with strategic importance to the practice of dietetics. Gordon will work with a small team of Academy members and staff members to reach a consensus on the agenda for a full-day meeting with the Academy’s House of Delegates, a decision-making body that provides actionable recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Directors.  

After graduation, Gordon plans to step down from her full-time faculty position. In January, she will be splitting her time between travel adventures with her husband and research projects.