Jessa Engelken

About Jessa

Welcome! I am a Wisconsin-based Dietitian who is also licensed in Iowa and Illinois. I have over three years of experience as a Dietitian working in organ transplant, diabetes, and other endocrinology conditions. I have extensive experience in working with individuals who have chronic diseases, such as kidney disease, all types of diabetes, gastroparesis, lung diseases (COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, IPF, etc), chronic pancreatitis and unintentional weight loss. I have lived in multiple states in the Midwest, as well as west coast (Seattle & San Diego) which gives me a more expansive view on food systems. Note: I am unable to take patients that I see in my other position at UW Health.

Approach to care

I practice from a non-judgmental and real-life lens. I know firsthand that life is busy and will work with you to find simple, realistic ways to reach your health goals. There are a number of reasons you may choose to eat the foods you do, such as cost or time. Food is a social experience and can also be a sense of comfort. These are all factors we will review to assess your relationship with food. I typically practice from a weight neutral perspective, taking aspects from Intuitive Eating & Ellyn Satter's Eating Competence Model. If weight loss is your main goal, I may not be the best fit for you.

Your first session with Jessa

The first session is where we get to know each other, review expectations, discuss your current nutrition behaviors and what a typical day looks like for you. We then work on setting your long-term goals for nutrition changes and schedule follow-up sessions. The first session tends to be more of an assessment than full on education or short term goal setting. This occurs in follow-up sessions. I look forward to working with you!

Location

📍 Madison, Wisconsin

Education

Masters in Public Health from University of Washington & Bachelor of Arts in Health Promotion from University of Iowa

Hobbies

Hiking, reading, spending time with friends & my two cats, trying local restaurants

Licenses and Certifications