Sara Elnakib.
Sara Elnakib (CC’07) received the “Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year Award” (RYDY) from the New Jersey Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (NJAND) at their annual meeting in May. Elnakib is an assistant professor for RCE in the Department of Family and Community Health Sciences and is the Rutgers NJAES County Agent for Passaic County.
A registered Dietician, Elnakib has worked in the community nutrition field for over 7 years. She, and a friend from New York University, founded the Muslims in Dietetics & Nutrition (MIDAN) a member interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. MIDAN currently provides scholarships to Muslim students interested in nutrition, nutrition education to the Muslim community, is the go to organization for the USDA and other federal agencies needing culturally specific nutrition information and provides networking opportunities for dietitians who work in or interested in the Muslim community. Elnakib is currently researching the barriers and motivators of Muslim women towards physical activity and remains focused on health and wellness in the Muslim community.
Sara El Nakib bottom right.
Prior to becoming an assistant professor at Rutgers University, Elnakib was an adjunct professor at Montclair State University in New Jersey and the Health and Nutrition manager for the Head Start Program also in Montclair. She has worked for Philips providing nutrition expertise, for the Muslim community in a Ramadan Social Media campaign in the Middle East and with the United Nations and UNICEF to provide nutrition education to children and mothers in Lesotho and southern Egypt.
Elnakib earned her Bachelors in Nutritional Science from Cook College and a Masters of Public Health in Education and Behavioral Science from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in the Rutgers School of Public Health.
