Denisha Hamilton

Making headline news just seems to be in Denisha Hamilton's future. In fact, some faculty at Bastyr Center for Natural Health say they wouldn't be surprised to find the 26-year-old nutrition student on CNN talking about politics and health care.

While national visibility may still be a few years off, Denisha is well on her way to realizing her dream of impacting the nation's health through her own independent lobbying firm. "I want to establish a firm in Washington, D.C., specializing in federal policy affecting nutrition and health," says the BCNH clinician. "I've done the research, and I can't find an independent lobbying firm that already does this. It's something that's really needed."

Before Denisha became an advocate for nutrition, she considered other health care and medical careers, including pathology. "For awhile I wanted to be a forensic pathologist," she says. She wanted it so much, in fact, she secured an internship in the crime lab of her local San Diego, CA, police department where she would work during college breaks.

Nutrition, however, kept knocking at her door. "All throughout college, I'd find myself putting my biology books aside and picking up the nutrition books," she says. Then, while attending school in Washington, D.C., Denisha read a newspaper article about naturopathic physician Andrea Sullivan, a graduate of Bastyr University, and a fellow Black woman. "I realized then that what I was really after was learning about prevention, and nutrition was the way. It's the root of good health."

Denisha enrolled in Bastyr's nutrition program in the fall of '99, one year after graduating from Howard University with a BS in biology. "I originally looked at Bastyr because it was mentioned in the article about Dr. Sullivan. But after looking around at other programs, I came right back to Bastyr. There's no other program just like it," she says. "It's whole-foods based and the curriculum has a prevention focus lacking at the other schools."

Although she's now been at Bastyr for a few years, Denisha continues to be enthusiastic about her studies. "I absolutely love the nutrition program! Everything I've needed to get from Bastyr, all those things not found in books, I've received." She especially enjoys her clinical training at Bastyr Center for Natural Health. "There's no way you can really learn about this career until you put it into practice. It would be like trying to teach someone to swim by handing them a book about the ocean."

She admits to being a bit anxious her first day at the center, "but the supervisors were wonderful," she says. "They give you just enough information and direction. There's more structure and hand-holding at first, but as you progress, they let you work more independently. Sort of like a parent with a child. After awhile, you learn to be much more confident and creative."

Denisha is pleased that BCNH patients can self-refer to her for nutritional counseling and don't have to wait for a physician's referral. "I've seen a lot of people with food allergies, eating disorders, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, many digestive disorders," she says. "Some people don't realize that mood swings, headaches and insomnia can be caused by diet." She feels strongly that exploring a patient's food choices should be the first step in any treatment. "Once you rule out allergies or diet problems, then you can concentrate on other causes for illness and distress."

She continues to be amazed by the life-changing effects of good nutrition. "I've actually had patients jumping up and down because they were so happy with the results," she says.

Concern for others extends beyond Denisha's work at BCNH. A few years ago, she volunteered at Seattle's Center for Multicultural Health and, soon after, was hired on as a health and nutrition educator. "I got to learn hands-on how policy can affect a social service agency," she says, noting that patients often are hurt when government grants aren't available to provide support. "This is what piqued my interest in lobbying for health care legislation."

After recently attending an American Dietetic Association workshop on nutrition and public policy in Washington, D.C., Denisha joined other dieticians in lobbying on Capital Hill for medical nutrition therapy reimbursement for dieticians. There she met with both senators from Washington state and a congressman from Seattle. "It was an incredible experience," she says, "and now I follow legislative issues more closely. I've become a C-SPAN junkie!"

This June, Denisha will receive a master's degree in nutrition, after which she'll begin a Registered Dietitian internship at Tulane University in New Orleans. "I would like to go on for a doctorate," she says, "and then teach at a historically Black university. I want to give back to the community."

What advice would she give students considering the Bastyr University nutrition program? "You need to be comfortable being a trailblazer. The school is full of them!"

Home | Site Map | Search | Contact Us | Jobs | Privacy Policy | E-Newsletter | Printer Friendly Bastyr University. Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.