Dana Ingebretson is the daughter of a minister and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her parents raised her with the value of service through their example. When people needed help in her town her parents stepped up, whether it was providing basic necessities like food, or helping Bosnian refugee families during the Bosnian War in the 1990s. When Dana was nine years old she remembers her parents signing up to help a Bosnian refugee family acclimate to living in the United States. 

“We went to meet them at the airport when they first arrived in the United States,” said Dana. “I also remember riding in the back of my dad’s car when he was teaching the father of [the refugee family] how to drive.”

While Dana’s parents were helping this family learn to navigate the complex systems of the United States, Dana recalls spending time at the Bosnian family’s home and learning about their culture through the meals they would prepare. 

“They would cook dinner for us,” said Dana. “Just getting to experience their culture and their food, and see how hard it was for them to move to the United States, it was really impactful to see first-hand.”

Being raised with these values and positive experiences helping others, Dana instinctively knew that whatever she did in her future, it was going to be something that helped communities. 

After earning her bachelor’s degree in dietetics, Dana took a break from schooling for five years. In that time, she had the opportunity to live abroad in Turkey, where she learned more about different cultures and their foods, and did English education work through a non-profit. Her time in Turkey also gave her first-hand experience in how difficult it is for someone to navigate a healthcare system while not speaking the language.

When returning home, Dana knew she wanted to go back to school, but she was at a crossroads as to what path she would venture down – go to culinary school or become a dietitian. 

“I just thought ‘I really love food and cooking, but I think that becoming a dietitian will let me live out my values more’,” said Dana. “I could have done a lot of different things to help people, but I also love food so this felt like the natural choice.”

Dana applied for residency programs, and was matched with the University at Buffalo’s dietitian program, through which she did a clinical rotation at a primary care facility. That was the first time she really saw that many people simply don’t have access to nutrition education. She also saw the benefits of primary care providers collaborating with a nutritionist to address a patient’s health concerns. She realized she wanted to work for an integrated care system, like Neighborhood, and provide the best care to those who often do not receive care at all.