In early December, Brandeis Dining Services added Registered Dietician Kate Moran to its staff, in the hopes of increasing healthy options in the dining halls and meeting the demands of students with dietary restrictions.

Moran confirmed that she has already implemented a number of changes in her short time at Brandeis, including the addition of healthy options such as made-to-order salads in Usdan Boulevard, a whole-wheat pizza option, tofu at the Liquid Lunch station in the Boulevard and whole wheat pancakes.

Moran has also worked to post signs in the dining halls with nutritional information, such as the ingredients in each dish and "allergen statements along with icons that indicate whether the item is vegan/vegetarian or conforms to specific healthy criteria," according to an email from Laura O'Gara, who is the nutritionist at the Brandeis Health Center.

"To me dining services is all about customer satisfaction-the student being our customer," wrote Moran in an email to the Justice. "My goal is to continue to improve our food offerings and services to ultimately please every customer. Brandeis dining services is pleasing many but will continue to strive for greater success."

Looking to the future, Moran added that she has been working with Executive Chef Ryan McDonald to assess dining hall menus and improve healthy options for the spring semester.
Moran splits her time between Sherman Dining Hall and Usdan, where her office is located. She has begun to meet with students and parents, said Director of Dining Services Aaron Bennos.

The position grew out of a perceived increase in demand among the student body for a variety of dietary needs, as well as Dining Services' efforts to "ensure that all the nutritional information was posted at the stations," said Bennos in an email to the Justice.

O'Gara, who is currently in her thirteenth year as Brandeis' part-time nutritionist, agreed that, at least over the last four years, the number of students with allergies and other dietary concerns has increased.

However, O'Gara emphasized that neither her nor Moran's role is to focus solely on this small, growing population of students.

"It's not about making every single item as healthy as it can possibly be; it's putting on that nutrition lens ... and being able to scan the entire operation and look for gaps" in availability.

O'Gara described her relationship with Moran as a "tag team," working together to make nutritious options available in the dining halls.

"I can't just make a recommendation in a vacuum. ... If you can't implement it, then the recommendation is meaningless," said O'Gara. "I can say it, but I can't go 100 percent of the way, in terms of having the inside discussion on how to implement it, and [Moran is] now being able to do that."

Moran was hired to fill the post soon after it was created, starting the first week of December.

Bennos, an Aramark district dietician, O'Gara and Mark Collins, senior vice president of administration, worked together to interview and select Moran for the position.

"It really was a position well needed, so I'm happy to have her," said Bennos.

Moran holds a degree in food and nutrition with a minor in psychology from Framingham State University and is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Massachusetts Dietetic Association, according to a Dining Services press release.