Navigation

Promoting Health Through Nutrition – Catherine Pelone Hill

After earning her bachelor’s degree at a large university, Catherine Pelone Hill, ’13, M.S. in nutrition, knew she wanted to pursue her graduate education in a more intimate learning environment. As she researched programs, she said she found many reasons to like Meredith’s.

She was drawn to the College’s low faculty-to-student ratio. And to the fact that graduates of Meredith’s Dietetic Internship (DI) program have an extraordinarily high pass rate on the Registered Dietitian (RD) exam. Catherine was confident that she wanted to become a clinical dietitian – a career path that requires the RD credential. Because Meredith’s M.S. in Nutrition is accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Catherine said, “I knew it would prepare me for a Dietetic Internship.”

Beyond getting the education needed to take the next step toward her career, each program gave Catherine invaluable experiences – experiences that strengthened her goal of becoming a clinical dietitian.

For her M.S. in nutrition practicum, Catherine partnered with outside physicians to teach healthy eating practices to patients participating in an innovative weight loss program. “Increasing the quality of someone’s diet will increase the quality of their life,” Catherine said.

Through the program, which featured physician-led exercises and promoted nutrition, patients saw remarkable outcomes. By exercising and using her tips to eat right, many patients lost weight and gained strength. Some were even able to come off prescribed medications for blood pressure and cholesterol.

Once she entered the DI at Meredith, Catherine had more opportunities to explore potential career paths through food service, clinical, and long-term care rotations.

“Meredith challenged me to strongly consider and take interest in other dietetic fields and working environments, even though both programs reaffirmed my ambition to enter the workforce in a clinical setting,” she said.

“I have a strong desire to help the U.S. – and even the world – become a healthier place,” said Catherine. “Meredith has given me a plethora of resources to help me not only fulfill my desire but also to be a leader in dietetics and nutrition.”