Biography
Caroline Passerrello is a nationally recognized and award-winning registered dietitian nutritionist with 20 years’ experience motivating individuals, inspiring students and leading organizations to achieve health and wellness goals.
As an instructor, Passerrello utilizes a humanistic, strengths-based approach to create a classroom environment that allows students to feel safe enough to be vulnerable, to be challenged enough to learn and to remember both how she made them feel and the content she shared.
Passerrello is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher and one half of a TheraPet team (with her dog, C.C.).
As a spokesperson and author, she utilizes nutrition informatics to deliver relevant and applicable evidence-based nutrition advice to a wide variety of audiences. Her service to the university and department includes a focus on community engaged scholarship with her roles as a liaison for the SHRS Wellness Pavilion at the Homewood Community Engagement Center (CEC), volunteering for Street Medicine Rounds, supporting the Future Health Care Provider Outreach Program, and more.
Education
- Doctor of Education, University of Pittsburgh
- Master of Science, University of Pittsburgh
Awards
- Outstanding Nutrition Educator of Pennsylvania, PA Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2024)
- Friends of Pennsylvania Family and Consumer Science Award (2019)
- Keystone Award, PA Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2019)
Research Interests
- Scaffolding pedagogical experiences and supporting preceptors to feel confident developing and assessing competencies necessary for future practitioners, with an emphasis on cultural competence and cultural humility.
Professional Organization Appointments
- Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- House of Delegates member for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
