RDN Spotlight: Ashley Munro, RDN, CDCES

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

Hispanic (Mexican). I am a second-generation Mexican-American. My family has great food customs, home-cooked meals with flavors from Sonora Mexico, and holiday traditions. Our family gathers around food, making meals together, serving salsas and warm tortillas with most of our meals and we have quick, accessible recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.

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

Undergrad at the University of Arizona, my internship was a clinically focused internship at University Medical Center (now Banner) in Tucson, AZ. I am currently getting my MPH from The University of Arizona and graduate Aug 2021.

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

I went to culinary school after being rejected from several dental school programs around the country (my mom is a dentist), I loved cooking and I also had a science background, so I met with an advisor that informed me about a dietetics option and I thought it made a lot of sense given my background.

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

I have a few jobs. I like variety. I work part-time as a nutrition counselor at our Campus Health center at the University of Arizona, I own my own virtual private practice and provide intuitive eating counseling, do recipe development and write articles, and I am a certified pump trainer for Medtronic, which is something I do when I have time or they need support, it’s a contracted position. My typical week includes seeing private clients the first half of my week and then working at campus health the rest of the week, seeing students one on one for counseling and advising our nutrition program that includes social media content development, blog writing and podcast hosting/producing.

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 want to acknowledge that I hold many privileges and that I had many opportunities because of them. With that said I think undergraduate was challenging, it was my first time away from home, my physiology degree was challenging and I had a hard time navigating higher education. I also graduated and felt like since I didn’t get into dental school that I had failed terribly, and it wasn’t even what I really wanted to do. I didn’t have a mentor and I think that would have made a big difference.

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

Yes! In my nutrition program, I met a dietitian at a local hospital that inspired me and I ended up working with her in my internship and she will forever be someone that has shaped my career. My internship program was rigorous and my preceptors expected a lot of us and I was really grateful to the ones that empowered me to reach high and never stop learning.

Why do you think diversifying this field is important?

I think what we learn in school isn’t diverse enough to help the variety of humans we interact with. I also think that representation is really important, our clients/patients deserve to be seen and working with someone that can be a bridge from their lived experiences and their desired behavior changes is so needed. Even if I didn’t have the same experiences as my Hispanic clients I at least understood their culture and maybe could ease their concerns by bringing some familiarity into the room. Holding space for their voices!

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

That you are an important part of the growth that this system needs. You will bring your own experiences and culture to the table, and that could make all the difference in advocating for clients/patients that deserve equitable and culturally sensitive care!