Employment Opportunities

In the ever-expanding field of dietetics and nutrition, you can work in:

Hospitals or health care facilities: providing Medical Nutritional Therapy (MNT) as part of the health-care team and nutrition education to patients. Additionally, managing the foodservice sector which consists of overseeing acquisition of food to preparation and supervising the staff.
Sports nutrition: educating athletes on the association between food, exercise, and health.
Private practice: offering services to restaurant managers, athletes, food vendors, companies and its employees as well as nursing homes.
Public and Community health: educating the public on how to improve their quality through the implementation of health eating habits.
Universities: teaching students about the sophisticated science of nutrition and foods.
Research: conducting experiments to answer nutrition queries and exploring for alternative food recommendations for society.
Business: working in the marketing sector, public relations, product development or even consulting with chefs in the operations.

Source: eatright.org (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

Sabrina Sales Martinez, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor (Dietetics & Nutrition)

"Nutrition research deals with mechanisms at the molecular/biochemical level, in animal and human models which may take place in laboratories, institutes, communities and hospitals just to mention a few. To be a researcher you need a PhD as well as be involved with a research team, be able to generate questions for studies, and participate with fellow peers. At the time, I was impacted by seeing my family suffer from chronic conditions which affected me while simultaneously provided me motivation to be involved in research and find cures for said illnesses. Being in the field provides me with a strong understanding of these disorders, learning moments to figure out where there are gaps in addition to the role that nutrition and diets have. Some challenges seen in research include funding, recruiting subjects for the studies, and creating the perfect study that is generalizable and that can be later used for evidenced based practice as well as treatment and be something that has the possibility of being applied in the real world. The generalizability affects guidelines, treatment and practice. My advice for students interested in pursuing a career in research is to try getting involved, identify individuals in campus that are in the field and make connections (e.g., at hospitals, institutions, etc.). Look for volunteering and employment opportunities."

"Corporate Wellness comprises of working in an organization and teaching employees about nutrition. Evidently, education that is provided differs from audience to audience, for example blue collar employees vs. white collar workers, and it is important to note the fact that everyone’s needs and health journeys are different. For some time now, I have been featured in media segments and have worked with brands and PR (Public Relations) agencies. This consists of talking about a specific topic, making sure I’m mentioning key points the brand or agencies want me to cover, and also answering questions the hosts may have.”

Gisela Bouvier (RDN, LDN, MBA, MIEP)