Justine Violante, Director (Dietician)
212-543-5773

The Food and Nutrition Department, which is directed by a registered dietitian, is responsible for maintaining a high quality of care of all patients at the Institute as well as the Audubon and Inwood Clinics. Each patient in PI’s clinics meets with a dietitian and receives a complete nutrition assessment, an appropriate care plan, and patient/family nutrition education. The dedicated foodservice workers provide meals made from scratch that are tailored to the special needs of each patient and that are in accordance with the recommended dietary allowance to the extent medically possible

The dietitian meets with all eating disorder patients enrolled in research for weekly menu planning education as well as an off-site lunch group. This lunch group is a therapeutic practice approach to “real life” eating outside a hospital setting to better prepare patients for discharge. In addition to the department’s daily responsibilities, the staff has been extremely generous in the time dedicated to preparing healthy, delicious meals at yearly events, including the EAP Health Fair. The employees of the Food and Nutrition Department demonstrate their commitment to patients and staff daily, which makes them an important contributor to the success of Columbia Psychiatry and the Psychiatric Institute.