Registered Dietitian
Michele Christopher M.S., R.D. graduated from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry. She continued on to earn her Master's Degree in Nutrition in Dietetics, where she received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Graduate Student within the entire department of Health and Human Development. Michele then went on to complete her Dietetic Internship at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in West Los Angeles with additional rotations at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Michele conducted her graduate thesis as a component of a larger multidisciplinary investigation aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among elementary school aged children through garden-based education. Michele also participated as the lead research assistant and project coordinator in a research study investigating the relationship between dietary intake, exercise behaviors and body composition in 18 year old Freshman, which was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2018).
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Michele currently works as the Manager of Dietary Services at Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders - Santa Monica, which offers extended, partial and intensive outpatient programs to serve clients within the eating disorder community. Prior to this Michele worked at a residential treatment center in Thousand Oaks. Michele also currently works in a private practice setting part-time where she specializes in nutrition counseling and education for individuals with eating disorders, substance use, gastrointestinal concerns, diabetes, kidney disease and sports nutrition. Michele's work focuses on treating the individual and healing one's relationship with food through a variety of modalities aimed at reducing shame, food rules & judgements and increasing acceptance & permissions surrounding food.
Publications & Presentations
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IAEDP Symposium 2019 - Speaker February 2019
The Gut Brain Connection in Eating Disorders: How do we treat based on what we know (and don’t know)
Exploring the topic of the gut brain axis and summarizing current research as it may inform current practice in treating concomitant disorders and presenting current evidence for dietary and therapeutic interventions to treat this dysfunction.
Rosewood Santa Monica - Speaker June 2018
The Gut Brain Axis: The intersection of Gastrointestinal and Mental Health Disorders
Exploring the relationship between gut health and mental health. Discussion surrounding assessing appropriateness for referral of GI and mental health and their impact on one another as well as interventions to aid with gut health within the context of mental health disorders.
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"Disordered Eating Among a Diverse Sample of First-Year College Students"
A cross-sectional study of first-year college students was conducted to identify the prevalence and predictors of disordered eating. Published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2018).
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