Professor Toni Gist’s LinkedIn page showcases her collaborations with universities, professional organizations, healthcare systems, and educational communities across the United States and internationally.

When Toni serves as a keynote speaker, the learning does not end when the presentation does. She creates a dedicated conference landing page filled with resources, tools, examples, and opportunities for continued exploration. What makes the page unique is that it evolves alongside the conference. As participants ask questions during roundtable conversations, throughout presentations, and following Toni’s keynote, new resources are identified and added in real time. This approach allows participant curiosity to help shape the resources that are shared, transforming a traditional keynote into an ongoing, responsive learning experience that attendees can continue to access long after the conference concludes.

There is nothing more rewarding than helping educators, students, dietitians, and healthcare professionals discover practical, ethical, and innovative ways to integrate AI into teaching, learning, and practice. As AI becomes an expected competency for future dietitians, I enjoy helping professionals prepare for standards such as ACEND 2027 SPE Standard 2.8.3, which emphasizes evaluating AI-generated information for accuracy and relevance while using prompt engineering to improve outcomes. Recent AI presentations include:

• The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of AI in Nutrition and Health (ASPHN, National Conference Keynote)
• Translating AI Concepts to Practice in the Health Professions (Center for Nutrition and Impact, Webinar)
• AI for Accessibility in Higher Education (NASPA Strategies Conference)
• Leveraging AI for Collaboration and Innovation (Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (UAO), Colombia)
• Customized AI workshops for universities, healthcare organizations, and professional associations

“What Your Students Aren’t Telling You”

What Your Students Aren’t Telling You offers a rare glimpse into the student experience through the voices of more than 1,000 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students. Co-authored by Toni Marie Gist and her teaching team, the book shares research-informed insights into the challenges, motivations, and needs students often keep to themselves. Whether you teach online or in person, you’ll discover practical strategies to foster stronger connections, increase student success, and create more supportive, student-centered learning environments.

Leveraging AI for Accessibility and Student Success

Leveraging AI for Student Success showcases the innovative use of a trained course-specific AI chatbot, AristAI, to create a more accessible, inclusive, and supportive learning environment. Trained exclusively on course materials and trusted scientific resources, AristAI provides students with accurate, on-demand guidance while reinforcing scientific literacy and reducing barriers to learning. The initiative has enhanced the experience of more than 1,000 students each semester by improving access to course content, decreasing stress, and helping students build confidence anytime, anywhere.

Student Voices Leading to Mental Health Advocacy

Student Voices & Mental Health highlights a research-driven initiative that amplifies the lived experiences of college students to create more inclusive, supportive, and student-centered learning environments. Through surveys, student stories, presentations, faculty development, and published scholarship, this work explores the intersection of mental health, accessibility, and instructional design. By listening to students and transforming their feedback into meaningful action, the initiative has informed teaching practices, inspired institutional change, and empowered educators to better support student success.

Nutrition Security & Community Partnerships

Nutrition Security & Community Partnerships brings together resources and initiatives from students, faculty, staff, university programs, community organizations, and local partners to help address nutrition insecurity among University of Illinois students. By highlighting free meals, food assistance programs, cooking resources, and community support, this collection connects students with trusted services that promote health, well-being, and academic success. The initiative reflects the collective commitment of the university and surrounding community to ensuring every student has access to the nourishment they need to thrive.

COIL Initiatives

Global Classrooms Through COIL brings students together across continents through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), creating meaningful opportunities for intercultural communication, teamwork, and global problem-solving. As a SUNY COIL Ambassador, Professor Toni Gist has partnered with the National Taiwan University and the Universidad Veracruzana to co-design immersive learning experiences that connect students through shared projects in nutrition, health, sustainability, and culture. These virtual global exchanges help students develop.

ACES in Spain: Food, Culture & Health

ACES in Spain: Food, Culture & Health immerses students in the rich connections between nutrition, culture, agriculture, and global health through an unforgettable international learning experience. This student-produced capstone video captures the lasting impact of exploring Spain’s food systems, culinary traditions, and healthy lifestyle while developing cultural competence, global awareness, and a deeper appreciation for the role of nutrition in communities around the world.

University Courses, Professors, and Oskee Bow Wow on Social Media

@OskeeBowWow TikToks are a social media initiative funded through an ACES Teaching Enhancement Grant that uses humor, storytelling, and a lovable course mascot (a black lab) to connect students with the University of Illinois community. Through fun TikTok videos featuring Professor Toni Gist, her students, fellow faculty, family, friends, and the ever-goofy Oskee Bow Wow, the channel promotes student recruitment, engagement, and belonging while showcasing campus life and making nutrition education more approachable and memorable.

Skilding with Oskee and Friends

Skilling with Oskee and Friends is a fun, campy educational series that tackles popular nutrition myths through entertaining TikTok-style videos and conversations with subject matter experts. Featuring Oskee and a cast of engaging personalities, the series combines humor with evidence-based science to help viewers develop critical thinking skills, separate fact from fiction, and build confidence in navigating nutrition information on social media.

Creating James Scholar Opportunities with Impact

James Scholar experiences are one of the most fun parts of my job. The students are eager to learn, create, and make a difference. Every project is designed around a student’s interests while contributing to meaningful initiatives in teaching, artificial intelligence, accessibility, nutrition education, research, or community engagement. My goal is to help students build something they are proud of… an experience that develops their skills while creating lasting value for others.

University of Illinois Virtual Reality Campus Experience

Virtual Reality Campus Experience invites prospective and current students to explore the University of Illinois through immersive virtual reality. From attending a Fighting Illini tailgate and touring a student apartment to walking down Green Street and experiencing the energy of Quad Day, these experiences provide an engaging glimpse into campus life. The project demonstrates how emerging technologies can increase access, build a sense of belonging, and help students envision themselves as part of the Illinois community before they ever arrive on campus.

DIA Sports Nutrition Experience

Illini Fuel Internship Experience is an immersive, semester-long internship that connects students with the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics through Illini Fuel. Supported by a 2023 Faculty Retreat Grant, the course provides hands-on experiences in sports nutrition, fueling strategies, athlete support, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students graduate with meaningful professional experience while contributing to the health and performance of Fighting Illini student-athletes.

Hot Topics in Sports Nutrition

Hot Topics in Sports Nutrition is a free, open-access eBook designed to make sports nutrition practical, engaging, and evidence-based for students, athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and health professionals alike. Through interactive content and real-world applications, readers explore topics ranging from fueling strategies and hydration to recovery, supplements, and common nutrition myths. Whether you’re training for competition or simply striving for better health, this resource provides science-backed guidance that can be applied immediately.

Designing a Student-Centered Course

Designing Student-Centered Courses is a concise, 7-minute professional development resource that introduces practical strategies for creating more inclusive, engaging, and learner-centered classrooms. Grounded in evidence-based instructional design, the video highlights simple, high-impact approaches that educators can immediately apply to improve student engagement, reduce barriers to learning, and foster academic success.

Students as Design Consultants

Students as Design Consultants is an undergraduate think tank that empowers students to evaluate course design through the lens of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Supported by a faculty grant, students collaborated as instructional design consultants, providing research-based feedback that informed the redesign of a large-enrollment science course. Their insights have shaped more accessible, engaging learning experiences while contributing to presentations, publications, and ongoing research focused on improving student success.

Leading High-Performing Student Teaching Teams

Leading High-Performing Student Teaching Teams provides practical strategies for recruiting, mentoring, and managing graduate and undergraduate student teams in higher education. Through real-world examples, interactive reflection, and insights from student team members, this professional development resource explores effective communication, team culture, leadership structures, and training practices that foster collaboration, professional growth, and long-term success.

Creating a Class with Impact Through Action Learning

The Business Living Learning Community in the Gies College of Business collaborates in a semester-long partnership with Professor Toni Gist in a tailored section of FSHN 120 where students apply nutrition and business principles to address food insecurity on the University of Illinois campus. Through collaborations with campus partners, students design and implement projects that create meaningful, measurable impact while developing leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

ExP Honors section of FSHN 120: Contemporary Nutrition was designed to move nutrition learning beyond the textbook through meaningful, hands-on experiential learning section tailored for Exploratory Studies Honors majors at the University. Students connected course concepts to real-world nutrition challenges through applied activities, reflection, collaboration, and community-based experiences. Rather than simply learning about nutrition, students were encouraged to experience it, question it, and apply it to situations that impact individuals, families, and communities. The ExP Honors experience emphasized curiosity, critical thinking, and the practical application of nutrition knowledge in ways that students could carry beyond the classroom.

Setting a Foundation in Nutrition Using Interactive Online Modules

Interactive Online Nutrition Modules provide a free, self-paced learning experience that introduces foundational nutrition concepts through engaging, interactive activities. Available to anyone with a University of Illinois email address, these modules make evidence-based nutrition education accessible, flexible, and easy to apply to everyday life. Whether you’re looking to build healthy habits or strengthen your nutrition knowledge, the modules offer an engaging way to learn at your own pace.

Case Studies in Nutrition (with Kelly)

Case Studies with Kelly highlights a mentoring partnership between Professor Toni Gist and University of Illinois alumna Kelly Doro, who co-created a collection of evidence-based nutrition case studies. Designed to bridge classroom learning with real-world application, these freely available resources use engaging patient scenarios to strengthen critical thinking, connect science to practice, and make nutrition education more accessible for students, educators, and lifelong learners.

AI Enhanced Nutrition Videos

AI-Enhanced Nutrition Videos showcases a collection of foundational nutrition videos co-created with the help of generative AI, including AI avatars, AI-generated imagery, stock video, and other multimedia elements. Created by Professor Toni Gist as one component of the University of Illinois ACES 102 dual-credit curriculum, these videos demonstrate how AI can thoughtfully enhance educational content while delivering engaging, student-centered instruction. The nutrition videos complement a broader collection of course videos developed by faculty and administrators across the university, creating a rich, interdisciplinary learning experience for future Illini.