Assistant Professor
East Tennessee State University
Dr. Whitney Bignell is a registered dietitian nutritionist with over 10 years of experience working with aging services programs in Georgia and Tennessee. As a doctoral fellow at the University of Georgia J. W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, she assisted with development and implementation of a business planning training for executive directors and key personnel in ten area agencies on aging in Georgia to help them consider additional revenue models for their services. Dr. Bignell also served as the Northeast Georgia AAA Wellness Coordinator from 2016 to 2019. During this time, she expanded CDSME and Falls Prevention programs to 11 out of 12 counties, as well as expanded the USDA Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program to serve all counties in the region. She is currently an Assistant Professor and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics in the Department of Rehabilitative Sciences at East Tennessee State University. She also serves as the Project Director for East Tennessee State University’s Innovations in Nutrition Programs and Services grant funded by the Administration for Community Living. This innovative program connects older adults with graduate nutrition students and youth volunteers in a virtual “Social Supper Club” nutrition education program to reduce risk for food insecurity, malnutrition, and loneliness by increasing a sense of community online, connection to resources, and intergenerational conversation.