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Geeta Sikand named among America’s top 10 dietitians for 2026
Recognition highlights her research on medical nutrition therapy, cardiovascular nutrition advocacy, and decades of work in patient care and education.
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 05, Jun 2026
- 14:18 EDT
- 39
Geeta Sikand / sites.uci.edu
Indian American dietitian and nutrition expert Geeta Sikand was named one of the Top 10 Dietitians in America for 2026 by Today's Dietitian.
The honor recognizes her decades-long contributions to nutrition research, medical nutrition therapy (MNT), and cardiovascular health.
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The recognition was announced in the March 2026 issue of the publication's 16th annual TD10 showcase. The magazine said the honorees were selected from hundreds of reader nominations and recognized for helping advance the nutrition profession by integrating people, disciplines, science, and ideas to improve healthcare outcomes.
Today's Dietitian highlighted Sikand's research on the economic value of medical nutrition therapy for patients with dyslipidemia. Studies she published in 1998 and 2000 found that every dollar spent on MNT generated between $3 and $4 in healthcare cost savings, marking the first cost-benefit analyses to demonstrate the value of dietitians' contributions to patient care.
The research was conducted while Sikand served as chief lipid research dietitian at the University of California, Irvine's teaching hospital, the VA Medical Center in Long Beach. The findings earned her two Mary Huddleson Awards from the Foundation of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“Dietitians needed to show outcomes data because managed care was taking over the health care industry at this time. Fortunately, we had the data,” Sikand said.
The publication also cited Sikand's ongoing advocacy to expand access to nutrition care.
She currently serves as a Policy and Advocacy Leader for the cardiovascular health and wellbeing dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has been involved in efforts supporting the Expanded Medical Nutrition Therapy Act, which would broaden Medicare coverage for nutrition therapy services.
A fellow and at-large board member of the National Lipid Association, Sikand co-chairs the organization's nutrition task force and helped develop its multiethnic and multilingual Clinician's Lifestyle Modification Toolkit.
“When dietitians counsel patients, we do not just tell them what to eat or what not to eat. We partner with them [and use] our communication tools to understand the ‘what, why, and how’ of diet and lifestyle behaviors and barriers to adherence,” she said.
Responding to the recognition, Sikand thanked mentors and healthcare leaders who supported her throughout her career.
“I extend my deepest appreciation to my mentors and the leaders who came before me, who took a risk and provided me the opportunity to lead and influence improvements in nutrition and healthcare delivery in various ways,” she said.
“I have met and worked with countless wonderful individuals devoted to caring for others. I have been humbled and continuously learned throughout this journey. I have contributed to reimagining and building a better healthcare and nutrition delivery model for the future,” she added.
Sikand currently serves as associate clinical professor of medicine and cardiology at the University of California, Irvine, where she teaches cardiovascular nutrition to cardiology fellows and provides expertise in cardiovascular nutrition at the university's medical center.
She has also operated a nutrition consulting practice for five decades, providing guidance on cholesterol management, diabetes care, weight control, hospice and long-term care nutrition, assisted living, home healthcare, and dementia-related nutrition issues.
Earlier in her career, Sikand worked as a teaching and research dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine, where she taught patients enrolled in a protein-sparing modified fast weight-loss program. She later served as director of weight management programs at Samaritan Medical Center in San Clemente, California.
Sikand earned a bachelor's degree in dietetics from Lady Irwin College in New Delhi and a master's degree in nutrition from California State University, Long Beach.
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