RDN Spotlight: Myriam Webb, RDN & Doula
What is your ethnicity/race? Did your family have any customs related to food? Please describe.
My familial roots are Guatemalan and African American. We ate a lot of fusion dishes at home from many different cultures. In many ways, this primed my palate for my love of international dishes!
Where/when did you go to undergrad/dietetic internship/grad school?
Undergrad- CUNY Brooklyn College
Dietetic Internship- SUNY Stonybrook University
I am currently pursuing a nursing degree at Pace University
Why did you decide to choose nutrition and dietetics as a career?
I am passionate and interested in learning about ways to encourage others to care for themselves so that they can prevent chronic diseases. As I grew in my career and experience, I have learned that preventative care is more than individual actions. It's about structural change and the need for environmental and societal changes that prioritizes equality, access, and preventative health.
What do you do now as an RDN and what does a typical day/week look like for you?
I have worked in clinical settings for 7 years. I am currently running my own small nutrition and doula private practice and focus on the birthing and nutrition needs of the BIPOC community in NYC.
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?
My biggest challenge for becoming a Registered Dietitian was managing personal family demands and financial stressors while completing my dietetic internship and degree. I was able to overcome this obstacle by leaning on mentors, community, and family for guidance and support. Support comes in many forms. Oftentimes, there are resources available but we are not privy to them. Mentors can help guide you with this. Culturally, family is central to my priorities and life. Before applying for my internship, I worked for 2 years and saved. Meanwhile, I organized a plan to complete my internship while still meeting my family’s needs. This honestly would not have worked without ignoring the pressures of completing an internship “right away”. I had to center what was important to me individually and not what societal pressures were.
Have you had any mentors in your career if yes how have those mentors affected your career/life?
Absolutely! I have been blessed to have many formal and informal mentors. The most influential has been my informal mentors. They pushed me to always challenge myself, to believe in myself, and to go for everything and anything I wanted! They were also amazing examples of what good leaders should be like. A lot of my mentors were professors, former bosses, and other RD’s with whom I had a genuine connection.
Why do you think diversifying this field is important?
Chronic diseases do not affect everyone equally and the nutrition needs of diverse communities are high. Yet, we do not have nearly enough dietitians from these communities in the field. Education and interventions are more effective when a population is better represented in the fields that serve them. I have personally had patients and community members who express that they would prefer to see a provider that is from their community and understands their culture. It saves them time from having to explain cultural and traditional factors which we all know greatly influence our relationship with food. The field of dietetics, like all fields in healthcare, lack diversity and thus lack the perspectives and benefits that diversity brings. The solution to this is to knock down the barriers that hinder students of color to succeed in this field.
What is a piece of advice you would give a student of color interested in entering the field of dietetics?
I would tell every student of color to research the field and internships as much as possible and to reach out to those of us in the field for mentorship opportunities. Community support sustains you when you are facing adversity. However, even with adversity, resilience runs through your veins. You are just as capable and deserving as your counterparts. Never forget that.