Q. If a middle school or high school student told you he/she was interested in our field but was concerned about taking science courses, how would you respond?
A. PA Dietetics Professionals and Students tell "How Science will help you.”
Note: Read the entire quote from each of the dietetics professionals appearing on this page by clicking on the name.
Denice Ferko-Adams, MPH, RD, LDN: “The dietetic science courses focus on YOU.”
Denise Fernandes, Dietetic Intern, Marywood University: “Understanding science opens doors to understanding others as well as yourself.”
Elizabeth I. Gebhardt, Dietetics Student, Drexel University: “I realized no science classes were as difficult to face as a lifetime in a career I didn't like.”
Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD: “The science focus in nutrition is on how the foods affect health.”
Cheryl Gamber, RD, LDN: “You need a science background to translate scientific information understandable by the public.”
Jaime Cimochowski, Dietetic Intern, Marywood University: “ The sciences that you need to learn are used everyday in the field to make a dietitian credible.”
Chad Edwards, MS, RD, LDN: “I am in the middle, explaining how to find out the amount of carbohydrate in a serving of food using the Nutrition Facts label.”
Julie Stefanski, RD, CDE, LDN: “As a certified diabetes educator, it's important to understand how different components of food like carbohydrates, protein, and fats turn into blood sugar in the body.”
Margaret Bogle, RD: “The challenge here is translating the science of food and nutrition into terms that children can understand.”
Tammy Mathews, Dietetic Intern, Marywood University: “It’s not like taking a theology class that you really wouldn’t use.”
Susan S. Dahlheimer, Professor and Chair, Department of Food & Nutrition,
Indiana University of Pennsylvania: "Students need to take the science; we help them apply it and make it useful. Our sciences are pretty user friendly, and then we emphasize the application in the upper level nutrition."
Rachel Harken, MS, RD, LDN: “If you don’t do well in high school science, try them at the college level.”
Kellie L. Nadeau, Student, LaSalle University : “As long as you work hard, it’s no sweat!”
Lorraine Matthews, MS, RD, LDN: “People don't realize how much science dietitians know.”
David S. Struse, Student, La Salle University: “The science courses involved with nutrition are actually applied sciences.”
Janet K. Little, MPH, RD, LDN: “Bond with fellow students and connect with professors.”
Lorraine Matthews, MS, RD, LDN: “I can't think of a better preparation for medical school.”
Lorraine Matthews, MS, RD, LDN: “Don’t forget about math.”
Lorraine Matthews, MS, RD, LDN: “One of my recurring soapboxes is that dietitians should be better managers.”
Irene Berman-Levine, PhD, RD: “Determine if you like the final job.”
You can take Dr. Irene’s advice by connect with the dietetics professionals on this page and elsewhere on the PA Career Information Page. Go to “RDs/DTRs in the News,” “PA Authors,” and “What do RDs/DTRs do?” and “PA RDs Open for Business.” Read over the summaries and feel free to email any one of the professionals listed. If you would like to meet a dietetics professional where you live, use the “Find a RD” feature from the American Dietetic Association.
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