Dimitra Kristina Thomopoulos of Philadelphia was named Outstanding Dietetics Student of the Year in the Didactic Program in Dietetics category from the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The Outstanding Dietetic Student of the Year Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a student member of the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and recognizes a Pennsylvania dietetics student that shows emerging leadership and achievement and shows great promise in the field of nutrition and dietetics.
Thomopolous received her Bachelors of Arts in psychology from CUNY Hunter College and is currently pursuing her Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition from Drexel University.
Since 2017, Krissi has contributed over 1,000 volunteer hours in various nutrition-related fields which, in turn, enabled her to further identify her intended specialty in oncology. In the past year, Krissi has been investigating various areas of the pre-frontal cortex to identify neurocorrelates of Loss of Control Eating for her Master’s Thesis. She also assisted her mentors at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center in completing a research study involving patients with pancreatic cancer to assess pancreatic enzyme use, efficacy, and cost; the results will be presented at an international nutrition conference later this year.
Krissi, who also was a scholarship winner from the PAND Foundation had this to say, “I am overwhelmingly grateful and appreciative for the PAND Foundation’s generosity and support. The PAND Diversity Scholarship is so important to me because I constantly strive to evolve into the patient-centered and culturally-competent Registered Oncology Dietitian and Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics I envision myself to be in the future. Additionally, this award will lessen my financial burden so that I may pursue a P.h.D in Nutrition and Dietetics immediately after completing my dietetic internship. It is because of generous scholarships, such as this one, that my dream is becoming a reality. Thank you, again, for selecting me as the recipient of this award.:
