Wearing Multiple Hats and Staying on Mission
Darin Detwiler, LP.D., is the Assistant Dean at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies and the Lead Faculty of the Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs of Food and Food Industries. As an Associate Teaching Professor of food regulatory policy, he has specialized in food safety, global economics of food and agriculture, Blockchain, and food authenticity.
Dr. Detwiler is also the founder and CEO of Detwiler Consulting Group, LLC. He is an internationally recognized and respected food policy expert with over 25 years’ experience in shaping federal food policy, consulting with corporations, and contributing thought leadership to industry events and publications, advising industry, NGOs, and government agencies, and addressing food safety and authenticity issues in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to serving in various educational, editorial, and advisory capacities, his committee work includes appointments to two terms as a member of the USDA’s National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection, where his work improved standards and policies related to risk-based sampling. As the senior policy coordinator for a national food safety organization, he evaluated pertinent regulatory issues for the USDA and the FDA as a consumer advocate in their stakeholder advisory group. His work supported the FDA’s efforts for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. He later served as a council member for the Conference for Food Protection, identifying and addressing emerging problems of food safety to influence model laws and regulations among all government agencies. Dr. Detwiler is the author of FOOD SAFETY: Past, Present, and Predictions (Elsevier, 2020); and Building the Future of Food Safety Technology (Elsevier, 2020).
In this episode…
When his middle school student asked him why he was here, Dr. Detwiler thought, "You're right," and walked out of the room George-Costanza-style, figuratively, at least.
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Darin Detwiler shares with Dr. Russell Strickland the heart-breaking story about the loss of his son at 16 months and how it fueled his mission in life to make our food safer for everyone. His doctoral journey began with a moment of epiphany when one of his middle school students asked why are you here. His immediate (subvocalized) response was, "I quit." But quitting was just the beginning, as is so often the case. Dr. Detwiler went on to become an assistant dean at his doctoral university so quickly that he actually hooded himself at commencement!
Dr. Detwiler acknowledges that lifelong learning, ingrained in him throughout his doctoral journey, "has served me well in terms of trying to achieve what I can for my mission." How will your doctoral degree serve your mission?