Meet our NCCRA Nutrition Chair
Judith M. Hinderliter
UNC Wellness Centers at Meadowmont
Judith.hinderliter@unchealth.unc.edu
Tell us what led you to run for the position on the NCCRA Board of Directors
My involvement on the Board was initiated by my supervisor when she was serving as the NCCRA president. The position of Nutrition Discipline Chair became open under her tenure, so she asked if I was interested. I was also CV Director for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics dpg. and thought it would be a good fit. My goal has been to make nutrition an important part of
Cardiac Rehab programs.
Please provide a bio highlighting special training, skills or hobbies that you bring to your profession and the board of directors. Please focus on the professional qualifications and strengths.
I have been a RDN for over 44 years. My first job was with a Cardiac Rehab Program that was an NIH study at Washington University Medical School in St Louis in 1978. Having just run Boston and NYC Marathons, I knew I had found my niche…nutrition and exercise!!! Working with folks to lead a heart healthy lifestyle, as well as getting to know them instead of doing a diet instruction as they were heading out the door from the hospital was so much more helpful and rewarding. After getting my MPH at U of Michigan, I worked as a Nutritionist with an NIH Adolescent Obesity study and in Pediatric Cardiology Clinic at the U of M; as a Program Director for Carolina Fitness at UNC (that I modeled after CR), as a Nutritionist for Women’s Health Initiative (UNC 1 of 40 centers that had women on low fat diets to see if it lowered their risk of heart disease and cancer) and for the past 13 years I have been a Nutritionist at the UNC Hospitals Wellness Centers a Meadowmont working with Cardiac Rehab. I feel my many experiences, as well as being married to a cardiologist, have continued to fuel my passion for promoting a heart healthy lifestyle.
Describe the direction that you would like NCCRA to take in the future and what part you would like to take in that journey
I would like to see NCCRA continue to support CR programs as they grow and try new ways of providing care either in person, home based or virtually. Having programs share what works and what doesn’t so we can all provide the best care would be helpful.
What are your interests outside of work?
Outside of work, you can find me running (slowly…), daily hiking with my 2 Golden retrievers, reading, spending time with my kids and grandkids, or traveling. A recent trip to celebrate turning 65 and our 40th wedding anniversary was an 8 day rafting trip on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, sleeping under the stars, and going over 244 rapids!