Student Ambassador / Masters of Science with a Major in Allied Health - Nutrition Concentration

Rebecca Alice Reese

• Program: Master of Science with a Major in Allied Health - Nutrition Concentration

• Hometown: Warrenton, GA

• Capstone Project: Positive Impacts of Nutrition in the Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Disease and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

• Capstone advisor: Dr. Zubair Karim

• Internship: Dietetic Intern at Augusta University Medical Center (AUMC)

• Why did you choose your degree program? I chose Augusta University's MS/DI program because of some of the experiences of people I knew who were hospitalized at Augusta University Medical Center. I was familiar with the teaching hospital and loved the interdisciplinarity relationships between each medical professional. I was especially inspired by medical teams, which included collaborations between a clinical dietitian and an oncologist.  My uncle is an oncologist and I want to work with him and other oncologists. Achieving a Master’s degree will help me to demonstrate that I abide by evidenced-based research and expand my knowledge to specialize in the field of Oncology.

• What words of wisdom have been particularly encouraging? My preceptor at AUMC, Thao Uyen Nguyen, RDN, LD, CNSC, is very wise in Nutrition Support. She said, “You learn the most by doing nutrition care hands-on.” Her lessons made my dietetic internship experience a collaborative environment where I was a valued member of the nutrition team and autonomy was encouraged!

• What have you found most beneficial about your program at AU? The connection and network I have built with my professors and clinical preceptors at AUMC!

• Please share words of advice for someone considering this program at AU? Discover yourself, what type of dietitian you want to be, and what areas in dietetics interest you the most!

• Have you been involved in any AU activities? I am currently the Social Media Chair of the Student Nutrition Allied Health Club (SNAHC), a student-run nutrition club promoting public health and nutrition in the community and school-related events. My involvement as Social Media Chair created an inclusive social media platform where health promotion messages increased awareness of evidence-based health research while informing our target audience about nutrition education.

• What have been some of your most rewarding moments while in your program? My most rewarding moment was when I successfully calculated my first nutrition support calculation and saw my suggestion in the plan of care for my patient! To see applied learning from my master-level classes in a clinical setting was a gratifying feeling and experience.

• What are your career goals? My goals are to obtain a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC) certification and Board Certification credential (CSO) in oncology Nutrition as a Clinical Dietitian and be a partner in a private practice for clinical outpatients. 

• What courses in your program's curriculum stand out as most helpful for your specific career goals? Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy FDNS 7400 helped me apply the Nutrition Care Process (NCP_ and evidenced-based practice to specific pathophysiological conditions- including nutrition assessment, nutrition diagnosis, nutrition intervention, and nutrition monitoring and evaluation. In the future, I want to work with the Older Adult population. Nutrition for Older adults was an interesting class that combined concepts of nutritional sciences and geriatrics. This class helped connect nutrition and aging and how aging impacts health and well-being. Pathophysiology NURS 6100 helped me understand the basis of illness, focusing on compromises in the body’s ability to meet its physiological needs. This class built a strong foundation of medical diseases and terminology and prepared me for my internship in the hospital.

• What AU resources have been most helpful? Jags Live Well is a holistic wellness concept that means being healthy in many dimensions of your life—including emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, financial, social, environmental, and spiritual well-being. Jags Live Well mission statement made me feel comfortable and covered if I needed some guidance and someone to talk to about my future as a grad student, and I liked how inclusive this resource is!

• What is your favorite AU memory? I will never forget my first diet education on Carbohydrate Counting Diet for Diabetics in my Medical Nutrition Therapy rotation as a Dietetic Intern. I got to explain and collaborate with my patient and introduce them to the world of dietetics! My patient voiced to me, “This is the first time in their life they understood and felt confident about their diet,” their smile will never leave my memory.

• What do you do for fun (hobbies etc)? I love to create graphic design for nutrition education, edit photos/videos, create content for my YouTube channel and TikTok, harvest vegetables and fruits in my organic garden, do nail art, and spend time with my pet goats and dogs on my grandpa’s ranch!