Curriculum Vitae

Dena French, EdD, RDN, LD is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and currently serves as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After beginning her career in accounting, Dena realized her true passion was in nutrition and dietetics. She returned to school to earn a B.S. in Dietetics from Fontbonne University, followed by a Master of Food and Nutrition and a dietetic internship at Bowling Green State University. She later earned her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership at Maryville University, where her dissertation examined the challenges of “failure to fail” in dietetics education.

Before joining UTK, Dr. French served for more than a decade at Fontbonne University as Associate Professor and Director of the Coordinated Program in Nutrition and Dietetics. In this role, she led the transition of the program into an accelerated master’s pathway and coordinated program, successfully steered the department through ACEND reaccreditation, and developed innovative curriculum in areas such as leadership, management, and advocacy.

In addition to her academic leadership, Dr. French is active in professional service at local, state, and national levels. She currently serves on the Board of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Dietetic Education. Her previous roles include leadership positions with the Missouri Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and service on multiple Nutrition and Dietetics Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) committees. Her professional contributions also include grant-funded community initiatives, such as bringing nutrition education and counseling to pediatric clinics serving underserved families, and scholarly presentations on topics ranging from food allergies in residential dining to integrating self-care for caring professionals.

Beyond her academic and professional work, Dr. French is a registered yoga teacher and certified group fitness instructor who enjoys sharing her love of movement and wellness with the community. In her spare time, she can often be found reading mystery and thriller novels, watching sci-fi and fantasy, traveling, and teaching yoga and fitness classes at local studios.

Stephanie began her career as a DTR in 2013 in long-term care and later became a dietitian in 2015.  She has experience in both outpatient and acute care, including critical care nutrition. She is passionate about providing individualized nutrition care for her patients to improve patient outcomes or to meet patients’ goals. While working at Duke Raleigh Hospital as a clinical dietitian, she helped create a mentorship program for DPD students employed at the hospital. This is where she found her passion for teaching students and creating activities to help them apply their knowledge. In the classroom, she enjoys exercising students’ knowledge and research abilities and training them to provide client-centered care. Stephanie is a licensed dietitian nutritionist for Tennessee and is excited to contribute her expertise to guide and educate students effectively in the classroom and in caring for clients in the community.

Jenna Martin is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and a licensed dietitian nutritionist (LDN) for the state of Tennessee. Her experience spans from working at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee to working in long-term care. She has had the honor to be a preceptor for dietetic students and looks forward to carrying that passion to training future registered dietitians in the Future Education Model (FEM) graduate program.

Curriculum Vitae

A native Minnesotan, Dr. Hansen-Petrik got her start in clinical dietetics practice at a teaching hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she specialized in neurology, nephrology, and critical care. She also whet her appetite for teaching as an adjunct at UNC-Wilmington. After completing her PhD here at UTK in the basic sciences, she took on a full-time position with a focus on teaching and directing the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). She has taught a wide range of both undergraduate and graduate courses at UTK, but concentrates primarily on applied clinical coursework. In 2017 she led a team in development of a new educational model for preparing registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs). Today, UTK’s Master of Science in Nutrition with a concentration in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics is embedded within a Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (GP) – the first program of its kind to be accredited by ACEND in the state of Tennessee. As director of the program, she is excited to work with a talented group of faculty to continue to grow and evolve this innovative approach to teaching the RDNs of the future.