Meet Our RDs/Nutritionists

Christine Quan, RD CDE

I became interested in nutrition & diabetes care because several of my family members have nutrition related health and diabetes conditions. I constantly challenge myself to offer the best care possible in a fast changing field, and I enjoy helping my patients achieve their goals of wellness and quality of life.

I am a member of and mentor for the Diabetes Care & Education Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association. I am the Webmaster for the San Francisco Chapter of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

Training/credentials:

• Graduated from the University of Michigan, ACUHO-NACUFS Program
• Graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in managerial dietetics and nutrition
• Registered Dietitian
• Certified in Gerontology, UC Berkeley
• Certified Diabetes Educator
• Certified Culinary Heart Instructor, American Heart Association
• CCS Paneled R.D.
• Gladstone Lipid Training Program
• FORE Training Program (Foundation for Osteoporosis Research & Excellence)

Rick Bennett, RD CNSC CSR

My goal to become a professional nutritionist (RD) began in 1985. At that time, I was an avid cyclist riding and competing. There was a lot of advice about what to eat, or not, that would help competitors achieve their best performance. Some of the advice sounded great, some of it made me very skeptical. It was then that I decided I wanted to know the science of why we eat, and, what happens to the foods we eat.

My dad was an educator and strongly supported me in returning to university to study nutrition. So, at the age of 40, and after a career in video/commercial production, I enrolled in the nutrition/dietetics program at San Francisco State University. The first thing I learned was the difference between 'nutrition' and 'dietetics'. Nutrition is the study of food and its components. Dietetics is the science of what those foods and components do in our bodies especially in relation to diseases.

After completing a degree in nutrition science, Registered Dietitians (RD) complete an internship with strong medical training. During my internship, I was privileged to work in the Nutrition Research department at Stanford University; in the ICU/Trauma unit of Doctor's Hospital in Modesto, California; in the Cardiac Surgery unit of Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, California; and, at Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California. Our internship class was also very fortunate to enjoy 7 weeks of training at the Pleasanton Counseling Institute. What an enormous privilege to learn how to listen and communicate!

After completing my internship, I was fortunate to begin working at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Vallejo, California in 1998. Since that time I have been in the Kaiser Permanente family.

Currently, I am doing outpatient counseling working with all types of nutrition referrals. My special areas of expertise are kidney disease, sports nutrition, and nutrition support.

Welcome to our Oakland clinic. And, I look forward to helping you with your nutritional needs.

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