RDN Spotlight: Michelle Mena, MS, RDN, CNSC

What is your ethnicity/race? Did your family have any customs related to food? Please describe.

My parents immigrated to the United States from El Salvador. We definitely have lots of food-related customs, one being every time we had a barbecue at home at the end we also threw whole sweet plantains on the grill and let them cook. So delicious!

Where/when did you go to undergrad/dietetic internship/grad school?

Received my Bachelor's in Nutrition & Dietetics from NYU. Completed my Dietetic Internship through the Northwell Health System. Got my Master's Degree in Health Sciences with a focus on Health Professions Education from Rutgers University.

Why did you decide to choose nutrition and dietetics as a career?

I enjoy the various paths that could be taken with this career. Although I chose to stay working with hospital patients, it's nice to know if I ever one day decide to pursue a different environment I will have quite a bit of choices.

What do you do now as an RDN and what does a typical day/week look like for you?

I currently am a Nutrition Support Dietitian at a hospital and I cover the Medical ICU. A typical day for me involves checking my patient census to see what patients need to be seen. I often round with the Medical ICU doctors on a daily basis in order to obtain the latest updates and plan of care. My day can often shift drastically depending on the patients that get admitted or upgraded to our unit. No day is ever the same for me.

What is/was the biggest challenge for you in becoming a dietitian and how did you overcome that challenge? This can be related to being an RD of color or not just any challenge?

I didn't really connect with any dietitians during my time of the Dietetic Internship because I didn't feel I could relate to them, being most of them weren't minorities and none of them spoke Spanish fluently. Another issue for me was finances. I didn't receive any guidance when it came to possibly obtain scholarships or assistance.

Have you had any mentors in your career if yes how have those mentors affected your career/life?

One of my graduate professors, Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia was essential to helping me not only obtain my Master's degree during Covid but also helping my thesis get published.

Why do you think diversifying this field is important?

The patient population has been diversifying for some time now and it's imperative that healthcare professions become diverse as well in order to help improve overall patient care.

What is a piece of advice you would give a student of color interested in entering the field of dietetics?

Definitely connect with someone who is already in the field to obtain a better idea of what it takes to be in this profession. It's definitely a struggle when you are trying to get yourself out there but it does get better.