Denyce Johnson

I can truly say that I believe my calling is to help in the fields of health and wellness. I grew up with a large family, mostly consisting of extended family and my twin sister. I also grew up becoming familiar with diet related health concerns battled by family members, such as my grandmother. Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved food, even the popular vegetable food group that repelled lots of kids from their dinner plates! As I grew older, I began to understand more about the depth of my grandmother’s health conditions and soon after, I decided to help take care of her.Since I graduated high school, I progressively dedicated more time focused on my grandmother’s health. I graduated Prince George’s Community College with two Associate’s Degrees in Forensic Science and Psychology. I decided to take a break from school and commit to becoming my grandmother’s caregiver. During this time in my life, I wasn’t just focused on her diet and doctors’ appointments. I became very much interested in her well-being and considered the potential connection between what she ate and how she felt. All while maintaining a renal diet, I researched topics such as phytochemicals from foods and deficiency of certain nutrients. I also applied what I learned from the curriculum for my AS in Psychology. Essentially, through application of all this information, I learned more about both, my grandmother as well as myself! I knew I loved food and the field of psychology but I never considered combining the two until I came across an article on the growing field of Nutritional Psychiatry. It sparked an idea that has motivated me to go after credentials to become a Registered Dietitian and eventually start my own private practice implementing major components of physical and mental health in order to achieve an optimal state of well-being. Aside from becoming a caretaker for my grandmother, I am a part of the University of Maryland’s Student Dietetic Association in College Park and am very eager to network and volunteer!