Nutrition essential to achieving health goals
At VA Ann Arbor, dietetics internship graduate Enid Aguirre is making a profound impact on the health of local Veterans through the new Dietetic Internship Program.
VA has 23 dietetic internship program locations across the country. This particular program, which welcomed its first class in August 2025, is the only VA program of its kind in Michigan and educates dietetic interns through hands-on training in a collaborative environment focused on Veteran-centered care.
Improving Veteran health
For retired Coast Guard Veteran Daniel Benfield, working with Aguirre, along with participating in Gerofit, a VA program that promotes exercise and health for older Veterans, has improved his health tremendously.
“It all started out with us being required to submit our daily food records over a period of time, and I got written feedback from her,” said Benfield. “She’s very forthcoming, very polite and very knowledgeable in her suggestions.”
The feeling is mutual for Aguirre; working with Veterans has been both meaningful and informative to her growth as a health professional. She learns most when Veterans share stories about their experience on active duty or after their service.
“A lot of times, it’ll relate to their relationship with food or their routines or just different lifestyle habits,” said Aguirre. “For me, having those Veterans who are open and honest and wanting to share their stories not only allows for me to better serve that Veteran but every Veteran I may work with in the future.”
In addition to her training, Aguirre is committed to creating accessible resources to support Veterans and their families by using videos to help them learn about healthy meal options and nutrition. Her participation in the Healthy Teaching Kitchen video program is just one of the ways she makes nutrition education more available for Veterans. In the video, she prepares huevos rancheros with Spanish subtitles, helping Veterans and their families learn simple, healthy cooking techniques they can use every day.
“It’s so important to have resources, especially when we’re talking in terms of nutrition, having those healthy options and knowing how to make different meals,” said Aguirre. “It’s just been really really exciting to be able to participate in the Healthy Teaching Kitchen, and I’m excited to make some more videos in the near future.”
Measuring success
Though it has only been a year, the dietetic internship program has seen success at all levels.
“We had all four interns graduate on time,” said Bethany Oxender, dietetic internship director, who holds a master’s degree and is a registered dietitian nutritionist. “All four of them have gotten jobs, with three of the four staying with VA.”
Oxender said this speaks to the purpose behind their program and the reasons it was launched a year ago. “Our core mission in starting this program was wanting to train the best and keep the best,” she said. “This internship was inspired by Veterans to bring the best clinicians into the facility, and I feel we have done that.”
Aguirre is among those who stayed with VA after her training because she saw how VA supported employees by providing resources needed to grow in their career. “I just really saw how VA focuses on the individual and giving you the tools and resources to be able to grow as an individual, to contribute to your department and then ultimately, to provide better care for each and every Veteran.”
Spreading the word
Benfield is grateful for the expertise and encouragement he has received from Aguirre and wants other Veterans to use the benefits offered by VA. “I think everyone could benefit from talking to a nutritionist,” he said. “I’ve been with VA’s Gerofit program since 2023 and just completed my 500th workout. It’s helped me out a lot.”
Nutrition is more than just food. It’s an essential part of helping Veterans achieve their health goals, a feat VA Ann Arbor accomplishes by offering expert guidance, personalized care and innovative programs designed specifically for Veterans’ unique needs.
Trainees like Aguirre are among the 124,000 health professions trainees educated by VA every year, overseen by VA’s Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). Find more information about OAA and VA’s education mission.
Author: Nikki Verbeck