National Nutrition Month: Interview with a Dietitian
Having reached the end of National Nutrition Month, we want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the impact our UC Davis Health dietitians and dietetic interns have on their patients. In the clinical space, dietitians serve a vital role in helping folks meet their health goals and provide nutritional support at every step of their healing journeys. The team at Blaisdell Medical Library strives to support our dietitians through access to current clinical resources.
But enough about us, keep scrolling to hear from a few of the dietitians themselves.
— Stevie Jepson
Blaisdell Medical Library
Interviews with UC Davis Dietitians
Adilah Guiseppi-Wilson, RD
Clinical Dietitian, Bariatric Surgery
What does a dietitian do?
Dietitians are licensed experts in the field of nutrition; our primary role is to guide people through the process of making dietary changes and habits, usually with goals around disease management, like diabetes and obesity. In clinical settings, we often also work on interdisciplinary teams to help recommend and manage alternative modes of nutrition when people are not able to eat orally. Dietitians are not limited to health care and work across a variety of areas, including food service operations, community health, and even public policy!
Why did you become a dietitian?
I became a dietitian because I love science, food and most of all people! Helping our patients realize their health goals can be very inspiring.
What do you wish people knew about dietitians/your job?
Anyone can call themselves nutritionists; but dietitians go through rigorous training, testing and ongoing learning to become credentialed and be able to provide medical nutritional therapy to best serve our patients.
How do you use food to connect with your family, friends and/or community?
As a first-generation immigrant living far from my family, I love to share and make foods like pigeon peas and rice, curries, and roti with my Trinidadian family when we are together. We have yearly traditions like making blackcake — a rich dense fruit cake that is very different from the one that you may be picturing! I also love having theme dinners and get togethers with friends where we can share our cultures with each other.
What library resources could you not live without?
UptoDate in our clinical library is a vital resource! I also rely on our clinical society guidelines (like ASPEN and ESPEN) and I’m very grateful to have the ability to have our UC Davis specific clinical guidelines a quick click away!
Golnaz Ghomeshi Friedman, MS, RD, CCTD
Outpatient Dietitian Supervisor and Transplant Dietitian, Clinical Nutrition
Kidney and Liver Transplant Program
What does a dietitian do?
A dietitian does so many things! Dietitians can work in a variety of fields including clinical nutrition (hospital dietitians), research, academia, food service management, school nutrition, community nutrition, private practice, and so much more!
Clinical dietetics is what most of the dietitians here at UC Davis practice. We work with a variety of adult and pediatric patients on the inpatient and outpatient settings on prevention, management and treatment of acute and chronic diseases. We work in specialties such as critical care, cardiology, hepatology, gastroenterology, nephrology, transplant, bariatrics and primary care.
For example, my job, specifically as a transplant dietitian, includes working with patients prior to transplant to optimize their nutrition status for a successful surgery. For those who are post-transplant, I work with them on healing and recovery from surgery, including management of nutrition-related side effects of immunosuppressive medications. I also work with individuals interested in donating their kidney and teach them about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle with one kidney.
Why did you become a dietitian?
I grew up in a family of healthcare professionals and knew that this is the field I wanted to work in. I have always loved working with people, helping people, and most importantly, I have always loved food! The combination of these interests led me to the field of dietetics and I have never looked back!
What do you wish people knew about dietitians/your job?
We don’t write meal plans and we have a lot of education! We work with people to provide individualized nutrition care that considers their personal and cultural preferences as well as their medical conditions. We have years of education, including a bachelor’s or master’s degree in clinical nutrition as well as over 1,000 hours of supervised practice. Additionally, many of us have advanced specialty certifications for the population we work with.
What this means for our patients is that we understand their disease processes and help form a nutrition plan that is specific to their medical needs.
How do you use food to connect with your family, friends and/or community?
I was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States when I was nine years old. Food has always been a big part of our culture and our family. To this day, my favorite thing to do is get together with my family at my parent’s house and eat my parents’ homemade Persian food! I connect with my own friends by cooking for them and I always prioritize family dinners with my own family including my two young boys!
What library resources could you not live without?
PubMed and Natural Medicines Database! I would never be able to help patients without these valuable resources that help me provide evidence-based nutrition care for my patients! On a personal level, I am attached to my Libby app! I love to read and listen to audiobooks and I love being able to support my local library this way!
Sarah Dellet, MS
Dietetic Intern
What does a dietetic intern do?
I am applying my undergrad and graduate training in nutrition and food systems to the day-to-day work of a healthcare professional. As an intern, this 11-month program has me rotating every four weeks to a different setting, covering many aspects of nutrition-related care, including time with transplant, trauma, ICU, Sacramento County WIC, peds (pediatrics), the kitchen, and more! I get to learn what it’s like to be a Registered Dietitian (RD), with journal clubs, presentations and committee participation to advance the profession and patient care for all of us at UCDMC.
Why did you decide to pursue dietetics and nutrition?
Coming from the rural Midwest, I am interested in the highly scientific yet ultimately deeply human way food connects us all. I grew up loving to cook (bake cookies, actually) and run. I studied international agriculture and rural development in undergrad and felt that the best thing I could do to save the planet was to cook more for myself. This developed into a passion for the many aspects of food, including disease prevention and fueling my marathon running. I decided to go back to school, pursuing the RD track to find my place within healthcare!
What do you wish people knew about dietitians/your job?
Our job encompasses much more than food — our physical exam skills help patient outcomes by providing the right balance of nutrition support to heal from surgery and trauma.
How do you use food to connect with your family, friends and/or community?
I volunteer with Sacramento Loaves and Fishes once a month, serving the community with my roommate and church members. I believe in the power of sharing food among others, gathering for a universal human need that brings so much pleasure and nourishment to our lives.
What library resources could you not live without?
The UC Davis Library can mail items to your house! I love to read history books, and I have so many accessible to me because of the library. Also, you can reserve a State Parks pass from the Sacramento Public Library for three weeks for many fun outdoor adventures!
Library Resources
Databases
Other Library Services
- Home Delivery
- Libby – available through public libraries