Overview
Dr. Monica Meadows received her B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from UT-Austin, completing the Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CPD) to become a Registered Dietitian. Originally, Dr. Meadows wanted to obtain a Master's in Health Education to further her interests in research, but after being a TA for the CPD for one semester, she found she loved working with the students and decided to pursue a PhD in Nutrition, which she jokingly calls an "accidental PhD." Upon graduation, she accepted a teaching position at UT-Austin, and in 2005 she became Assistant Director of the CPD. In 2012, she then stepped up as Director of the CPD, training more than 488 future dietitians.
How She Became Involved in Dietetics
Dr. Meadows became interested in nutrition as a consequence of a desire to lose weight while working as an administrative assistant many years ago. As she was losing the pounds, people around her would constantly inquire as to what exactly she was doing and eating. She loved what she was learning throughout her weight loss journey, and she enjoyed interacting with other individuals around the topic of nutrition and a healthy diet. The process of learning more about nutrition led to her decision to return to school.
Ideas About Dietetics (Where have we come from and where are we currently headed?)
Regarding the dietetics profession, Dr. Meadows states, "A lot more graduates are going into private practice more quickly than they had before. There seems to be a need for these dietitians." Dr. Meadows has seen how the mindset of dietitians thinking there is only one way to eat is starting to disappear as people are now recognizing there are countless numbers of beneficial dietary paths available. Additionally, she feels that the 'HAES (Health at Every Size)' approach is very beneficial and is happy to see how the world is starting to acknowledge that there can be people who are lean but not healthy, as well as people who are overweight but healthy.
Major Challenge of Dietetics
According to Dr. Meadows, one of the major challenges the profession of dietetics is facing now is that "many people think they're an expert in nutrition. Information that is not evidence-based is all over the internet. Trying to help the world understand where to go for reliable information versus reading what you want to read and hear is a big challenge."
MSNS Highlights
In addition to leading and teaching in the CPD, Dr. Meadows is also a part of the faculty for the online Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences (MSNS) program, where she teaches the course Nutrition Through the Life Cycle (NTR 394.5). In this course, students examine the changing nutritional needs of humans throughout the lifespan. Areas of focus include looking at the role of nutrition in growth, cognitive and physical development, and identifying special nutritional needs for life transitions such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and aging. Students work on case studies that help them apply the material learned throughout the course. Dr. Meadows works to ensure that "students build on the foundation of knowledge they have gained from the core courses in the MSNS program by applying that knowledge to support health at all ages." As she states, "My goal is that students gain proficiency over the material, and more, that they deepen the skills needed to be life-long learners." A unique feature of the MSNS program is its flexibility, especially for working professionals and students.
Key Takeaway
Dr. Meadows' key takeaway: "Find what you love doing so that when you get up to do your thing every day it's not 'oh my gosh I have to go do this', but rather 'it's okay what's happening today,' or maybe, 'I can't wait to get this started!' It's never too late to try something new, and you may discover a passion that you didn't know you had. We have returning students all the time who find the field of nutrition later in life. They've been working in some other career for decades sometimes and realize this is what they want to do." Dr. Meadows is proud of the number of students she has trained as dietitians who find a new passion in nutrition.
