COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCES SCHOLARSHIP PORTFOLIO (2013) | Page 12

Consumer and Family Studies/Dietetics
Faculty in and programs of The Consumer & Family Studies/Dietetics Department strongly value
sustainability and a socially-conscious approach to industry working towards the well-being of
individuals, families, and communities. Faculty scholarship is centered on applications of knowledge,
community engagement in local industries, sustainability, ethics and social responsibility, consumer
behavior, and universal design. Several faculty members have published that are major contributions
to the field with new approaches not found in the literature. Publications are found in national
and international journals such as Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Design Principles and
Practices: An International Journal; The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic,
& Social Sustainability; International Journal of Information Processing and Management; Journal
of Family & Consumer Sciences; Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management, and case studies
in books such as Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Multidisciplinary Perspectives Through
Service Learning. Our faculty present at local, national, and international conferences. The
Department offers undergraduate degree programs in Apparel Design & Merchandising; Dietetics;
Family & Consumer Sciences; and Interior Design, a master’s degree in Family & Consumer
Sciences, and a graduate certificate in dietetics serving as an internship leading to the Registered
Dietitian certification. Programs are accredited by the American Association of Family & Consumer
Sciences and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Student Honors
Elena Zidaru received her M.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences in 2013. She
is a registered dietitian at the Community Health Resource Center affiliated
with California Pacific Medical Center. Her patient base includes diseases
and conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, eating disorders and
weight management. Through her volunteer work at the San Francisco Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, she became proficient in coaching through their
Wellness Coaching Research Study and is listed as an author of the study. Her
thesis research indicated that normal weight college women have a tendency to
perceive themselves to be overweight which leads to dietary control patterns
of eating. Both rigid and flexible methods of dietary control were positively
correlated with food cravings related to food preoccupations.

Christine Batten completed her Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics in 2013,
graduating Summa Cum Laude. She was twice awarded the Dale M. Schoettler
Memorial Scholarship, a CSU merit-based prestigious award for the legally
blind. Christine completed a seven month policy outreach internship with the
Community Food and Justice Coalition in Oakland. She has also been a research
assistant at Stanford University Prevention Research Center, a nutrition educator
for youth in East Oakland through the Bay Area Dietetics Association and a
dietary assistant at Alta Bates Hospital. She has extensively studied holistic
health and Mandarin Chinese. In 2010 she won a Mandarin essay contest
which was published in Singtao Daily News. She plans to bring a multicultural,
integrated philosophy to the field of dietetics. She has been accepted into the
CFS/D Fall 2013 graduate dietetics internship which accepted 14 out of over
100 applications.

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