RDN Spotlight: Alyssa Kwan, RD
What is your ethnicity/race? Did your family have any customs related to food? Please describe.
I am Chinese and a second-generation Chinese-American. Growing up I had the opportunity to be raised by my grandparents and learned how to speak Cantonese at a young age. I also grew up with staple foods native to Chinese cuisine and would often have authentic Chinese dishes such as pork spareribs with black bean sauce, shrimp with glass noodles, and gai lan vegetables.
Where/when did you go to undergrad/dietetic internship/grad school?
University of California, Davis - B.S. in Clinical Nutrition 2018 University of California, San Francisco - Dietetic internship 2019 Columbia University - M.S. in Human Nutrition 2021
Why did you decide to choose nutrition and dietetics as a career?
I choose dietetics because of my interest in how nutrition intersects with cultural components! I love learning about optimizing MNT for my patients while trying to fit my interventions with their cultural background as a clinical dietitian!
What do you do now as an RDN and what does a typical day/week look like for you?
I am a clinical RDN for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. I am also a career coach for aspiring RDs as the Founder of The RD Route and a full time Master’s student at Columbia University. My week looks like a combination of things: balancing patient workload, finishing school/thesis work, and providing RD Route consultations!
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?
Applying for dietetic internships! It requires time and money!
Have you had any mentors in your career if yes how have those mentors affected your career/life?
Yes! I’ve had many mentors in my career including my dietetic coordinator and undergraduate professors. They have helped me immensely in matching me to a dietetic internship!
Why do you think diversifying this field is important?
Diversity is where our field should be headed. It’s so important because the field of dietetics requires dietitians who implement culturally sensitive interventions that are patient-centered. As dietitians with diverse backgrounds and experiences, we are more culturally aware of our patient's health and environment. This starts with us!
What is a piece of advice you would give a student of color interested in entering the field of dietetics?
Find a mentor that you look up to and use their experiences to navigate your own!