Kristen Stark McElhenny

Greensboro, NC  443.974.3385  k_stark@uncg.edu

Education
M.S. in Nutrition Sciences, May 2025 University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
GPA: 4.0
Didactic Program in Dietetics  Recipient of Ann B Burke Scholarship 2023-2024 Thesis Candidate
B.S. in Nutrition Sciences, May 2019 Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA
GPA: 3.38  Dean’s List  ODAC All-Academic Team (Varsity Lacrosse)

Community Nutrition Experience

Study Coordinator Research Assistant Infant Feeding and Nutrition Study UNCG  August 2022-
Present (2,480 hrs)
 Conduct training for recruitment and home visits with new team members
 Access EPIC to facilitate recruitment schedules
 Complete contacts with participants and home visit interviews
 Write and publish study findings
Infant Feeding and Nutrition Phase II
 Community Nutrition research on breastfeeding support among SNAP and or WIC participants
 Conduct home visits and interviews for 6 weeks with each participant
 Examine patterns using Likert scales about breastfeeding support
 Complete 24-hour food recalls using the NDSR program (Nutrition Data System for Research)
 Appointed Study Coordinator Fall 2022
Infant Feeding and Nutrition Phase I
 Data Analysis of links between formula feeding and rapid weight gain in late infancy
 Published research 2023; presented at SNEB Conference 2023
Dharod JM, McElhenny KS, DeJesus JM. Formula Feeding Is Associated with Rapid Weight Gain
between 6 and 12 Months of Age: Highlighting the Importance of Developing Specific
Recommendations to Prevent Overfeeding. Nutrients. 2023; 15(18):4004.
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15184004

Nutritionist I Women, Infant, & Children, Greensboro, NC  Nov 2019-March 2021 (2,720 hrs)
 Educated women, infant, and children of a low socioeconomic status on healthy eating habits
according to Dietary Guidelines for Americans
 Completed diet assessments to analyze current diet of client and make recommendations
needed to improve health
 Educated on iron deficiency anemia, slow or rapid weight gain, budget friendly meals, picky
eaters, pregnancy discomforts related to nutrition and more
 Expert on recommendations for infant feeding (formula and breastmilk), child nutrition, and
nutrition during pregnancy and lactation
 Nutrition Leader for the Infant Feeding Class- Developed the class to be virtual once COVID-19
required telehealth visits
 Provided breastfeeding information and connected women to breastfeeding experts
 Completed Breastfeeding Educator Training that was a 5-week course through UNC Chapel Hill
which covered breastfeeding basics, pump cleaning, sanitizing, assembly, and trouble shooting
to be certified to issue pumps for loan at WIC
Nutrition Volunteer WIC, Greensboro, NC ▪ June-November 2019 (576 hrs)
 Observed Registered Dietitian complete nutrition assessments
 Developed understanding of Crossroads software
 Completed nutrition assessments of clients
 Developed an evidence-based guide to nutrition for women pregnant with multiples
Food Service Experience
Café Service Leader Maxie B’s Café, Greensboro, NC ▪ Aug 2019-Current (3,680 hrs)
 Customer service member which works with customers to place custom cake and dessert orders
 Work with team members to maintain sustainability throughout the shop by composting,
recycling, and reusing items
 Appointed Senior Staff Member November 2019; responsible for closing and opening bakery,
counting cash drawers at close, completing inventory checks, and monitoring team efforts
throughout the shift
Nutrition Volunteer UNC Greensboro Dining Services January-April 2023 (15 hrs)
 Completed meal preparation, cooking, and offering of food during meals for students
 Learned the system of working in a mass kitchen and regulations followed that are set by
government agencies

Collegiate Activity
Teaching/Graduate Assistant University of North Carolina at Greensboro  August 2022-May 2023 (350
hrs)
 Graded student projects, assignments, and tests in two introductory to nutrition courses
 Conducted meetings to clarify class content with students
 Developed study tools for students to prepare for tests
Member Nutrition Graduate Student Association  Sept 2022-Present
 Active member of the organization
 Discuss ways to be involved in campus activities and increase social media attention to the
Nutrition Graduate Program
Member Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics  Oct 2018-Present

Member Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior Student Division March 2023-Present

Midfielder, Team Captain Varsity Women’s Lacrosse Team  Spring 2015-Spring 2019
 Team Captain 2018, 2019
 All-ODAC Team 2018, 2019
 ODAC All-Academic Team 2016, 2018, 2019
Director of Operations Student Athletic Advisory Committee  Oct 2017-Apr 2019
 Organized events to get athletes into the community
 Informational and reminder coordinator for members
 Scribe at all leadership team and rep meetings

Training Courses and Certifications

ServSafe Certified Valid through April 2028
EPIC Cone Health July 2022
 Trained in EPIC through Cone Health, Greensboro
 Access to medical information for recruitment for the FeeN II Study
 HIPAA compliant
Nutrition Data System for Research June-August 2022
 Expert in the NDSR system to complete 24-hour diet recalls using the software
 Analyze data using output files from the software
SPSS September-December 2022
 Semester long course on using SPSS to analyze data
 Expert in completing ANOVA, Correlation, T-Test, and Chi-Square tests to analyze data