PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Mandy Gruner (formerly Mandy Clark) has paved a truly unique career path in the fields of sport nutrition, wellness, and nutrition therapy for the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, and the dieting casualty.  Mandy is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a Board Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics (CSSD).  Mandy's professionalism and drive for endlessly enhancing her knowledge and skills have stemmed from her impressive resume, including pioneering full-time job positions at both the University of Notre Dame and Princeton University.

Before embarking on her current endeavor of powering her own private practice, speaking, and consulting business, Mandy spent a year working toward her PhD in Nutrition at Michigan State University.  Mandy was a Graduate Researcher in the Sports & Cardiovascular Nutrition Division, part of the Department of Radiology in the School of Osteopathic Medicine.  In her time as a PhD student, Mandy took advanced courses in eating disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), human nutrition and chronic disease, exercise physiology, and physical activity epidemiology.  She also focused her research interests in the areas of the Female Athlete Triad; excessive exercise in the development and maintenance of eating disorders; and the transdiagnostic theory for the treatment of eating disorders. During most of 2009, Mandy served as a Registered Dietitian within the Department of Health Promotion & Education in the Student Health Center at Western Michigan University.   

Mandy's other career highlights include pioneering nutrition programs and services at two prestigious universities.  Mandy was the first full-time Clinical & Sport Dietitian for University Health Services at Princeton University and also the first full-time Sport Nutritonist for Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Notre Dame.  As Princeton's Clinical & Sport Dietitian for two years, Mandy provided nutrition counseling and team education for the university's 38 varsity programs and 1200 student-atletes as a member of the Athletic Medicine Team.  In addition, she provided nutrition therapy to students struggling with eating disorders and body image issues as part of a multi-disciplinary treatment team. As Notre Dame's first full-time Sport Nutritionist for over 2 years, she developed and coordinated nutrition services for the 800 student-athletes on 26 varsity teams. She also worked to educate coaches, athletic trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, and administrators on the importance of nutrition in athletic performance.

In addition to working in the University setting, Mandy has consulted for the National Soccer Coach’s Association of America (NSCAA), the largest coaches’ organization in the United States.  Her work has included speaking at their National Convention and developing a Special Topics Course in nutrition for Master Coaches.

Mandy got her start working in outpatient eating disorder treatment while being mentored as an Associate Nutrition Therapist at Body Honor Nutrition & Wellness in addition to Eating Matters, both private nutrition counseling practices specializing in the treatment and recovery of clients struggling with disordered eating and eating disorders.

Mandy is a member of the American Dietetic Association (ADA); Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN); Nutrition Entrepreneurs (NE); the Behaviorial Health Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group; the Dietitians of West Michigan (DWM); and the Kalamazoo Eating Disorders Professional Coalition (KEDPC).

EDUCATION 

Mandy holds a Master of Science in Nutrition from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and a Minor in Kinesiology from The Pennsylvania State University.  Her Master’s Thesis entitled, “Pre- and Post-Season Dietary Intake, Body Composition, and Performance Indices of NCAA Division I Female Soccer Players” was published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism in 2003 (Volume 13: 303-319).

Mandy strives to maintain her own health through eating well and keeping fit.  Mandy has completed several endurance events including:

San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon
Chicago Half-Marathon
New Orleans Crescent City Classic 10K
Capital 10K, Austin, TX
Great Clermont Triathlon, Clermont, FL