Dietitian finds calling in classroom

April 28, 2025 – DENTON – Rachel Poland always had aspirations of working in higher education. She actually put it in writing, including a long-term career goal in a personal statement for her Texas Woman’s student dietetic internship application. 

That dream came true when Poland accepted the dietetic internship director position in the nutrition and food sciences department at TWU Houston in June 2022. Poland returned to Texas Woman’s full time after seven years working as a clinical dietitian and a clinical nutrition manager. 

“I really enjoy teaching,” Poland said. “It’s probably one of the most fulfilling things I have ever experienced. It’s both challenging, extremely humbling and gratifying in equal measure.”

Poland was recently recognized for her contributions to the dietetics profession. 

She received the Emerging Dietetic Leader award at the Texas Academy Annual Conference & Exhibition (Texas ACE) in April. The Texas Academy, an affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is a not-for-profit professional organization of over 4,000 Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN), Dietetic Technicians, Registered (DTR), and dietetic students in Texas.

“It’s very gratifying to be recognized by your peers, especially peers that you greatly respect,” Poland said. 

Poland was also announced as president-elect of the Texas Academy’s executive team after serving as treasurer for the last two years. For the last 10 years, Poland has served in numerous leadership positions and on committees with the Texas Academy.

“As a program director, everything I do is on behalf of others, it’s on behalf of my students,” Poland commented. “It’s for their benefit. And, leadership and involvement is really no different. It’s public service for others in the field. It feels very rewarding for me.” 

In her role as program director, Poland trains and coaches her students for the required credentialing exam as well as preparing them for their roles as entry-level dietitians. She also passes on leadership skills she has gained from her volunteer work. 

“I think what I’m trying to impart on them is the importance of being a leader in their field and learning how to advocate for themselves,” Poland said. “A lot of people don’t know who we are and what we do because we sorta function behind the scenes in a lot of instances.”

 A registered dietitian nutritionist is a food and nutrition expert who has met the minimum academic and professional requirements to qualify for the credential "RDN." Dietitians work in a variety of settings. 

“We could be in the hospital, we could be in your doctor’s office, we could be in food service and management,” Poland said. “We could be in schools, we could be in community settings.”

The dietetic internship at TWU Houston requires 1,100 supervised practice hours at affiliation rotation sites. One of their experiences is an elective rotation of their choice. When Poland was a Texas Woman’s student, she opted for pediatrics.

“I was a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) baby when I was born so it seemed like a really fun opportunity to learn about a really complex vulnerable population, but then also that’s where I started and it was cool to go back to see what it looked like and give back,” Poland said.

Poland selected pediatrics because she knew it would be challenging but never imagined that it would launch her career caring for medically complex children.

“I ended up falling in love with pediatrics and never want to work exclusively with adult patients,” Poland said with a laugh. 

One of Poland’s first jobs was working as a clinical dietician in the neonatal ICU at St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston. She worked on nutrition care plans for young patients as part of a healthcare team.

Although her move to higher ed happened sooner than Poland envisioned, she was overjoyed to return to Texas Woman’s. 

“Returning to TWU Houston as a faculty member fills me with immense gratitude, accompanied by a touch of imposter syndrome, as I strive to become an effective educator and director,” Poland said. “It's a humbling yet incredibly rewarding experience to give back to the institution that shaped my professional journey.”

Texas Woman’s has dietetic internship programs on the Denton and Houston campuses. TWU Houston, a member of the Texas Medical Center, offers nutrition graduate degrees in nutrition, and exercise and sports nutrition.