The name of the professional organization is Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). AND was founded in 1917 as the American Dietetic Association in Cleveland, Ohio. AND's goals are: 1) the public trusts and chooses registered dietitians as food and nutrition experts, 2) AND members improve the health of Americans, 3) members and prospective members view the Academy as vital to their success and 4) members collaborate across disciplines with the international food and nutrition communities. AND's mission is to empower members to be national leaders in food and nutrition. The objectives of the AND are divided into topics related to aging, child nutrition, food and food security, health literacy and nutritional progress, medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and medical care/medicaid, monitoring and nutritional research and obesity/overweight/weight management. The aging goals for AND are to maximize the impact of the Older Americans Act, promote the idea of ​​“healthy aging,” seek funding for nutrition studies, and develop and support programs and services for older adults by helping with the development of sustainable and effective programs for older people. In the area of ​​child nutrition, AND aims to improve nutrition in school nutrition programs and within the WIC program, expand school wellness programs, and improve outcomes. In the area of ​​food and food safety, AND has objectives related to strengthening the government's capacity to ensure a safe food supply, providing accurate information about foods to consumers and about dietary supplements, improving consumer protection, and investing in nutrition education. In the area of ​​health literacy and nutritional advancement, the goals are to improve nu...... middle of paper ......cian in my area for an interview project for a class while using the Evidence Analysis Library and Nutritional Care Manual for each assignment in my medical nutrition therapy classes. I was also able to use the Academy newspaper and the Food and Nutrition magazine. These two publications have allowed me to stay up to date on research, food products and trends, so that I can better understand changes in the field of dietetics and also understand the most current information. Therefore, I believe it would be an excellent choice for me to continue as an active member after becoming a registered dietitian in the future as this will provide me with the ability to keep up with the advancements in dietetics while having the opportunity to actively participate and engage in the communities where I will work through networking opportunities.