The 91st Annual Conference of the NJAND is in the rearview mirror. From all indications, it was a
success. And much of that success can be attributed to the Chair of our Annual Meeting Committee, Caitlyn Mitchell, who took on this role to fulfill the desire to pay it forward to a profession that has been a true fit for her in many ways.
A Jersey girl, Caitlyn was always interested in health services and found her niche during her
undergraduate studies at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. “When I started college, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, I was interested in healthcare and always loved food and cooking so thought I would try it. I am very lucky I wandered into a field I love,” Caitlyn declared.
In her work as a clinical dietitian at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, it is this affection
that embraces her clients in her daily interactions as she helps them navigate and “manage
chemotherapy-related side effects while focusing on nutrition for survivorship.” The love also
spills over as warmth and fondness as she guides and helps shape her students at Thomas
Jefferson University’s College of Health Professions where Caitlyn is an Adjunct Professor of
nutrition to healthcare students.
Caitlyn’s current position is a testament to the adage, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try
again. “I remember when I first interviewed for the dietitian position at MD Anderson, I did not
get it. This was a major disappointment which challenged the confidence I had in myself.
However, I took it as a sign to gain more experience as an inpatient dietitian at Cooper
University Hospital where she started out in 2017. I am actually very glad I got the extra time
there which made me more confident going into my interview a few years later and I landed the
job!”
This alum of Immaculata University where she completed her dietetic internship and earned a
master’s in nutrition is a proud LGBTQAI+ ALLY. She is also grateful to the “many amazing
mentors in my career. From my professors at West Chester University, to the inpatient dietitians
at Cooper, to the dietitians I work with now. They have taught me so much about not only
nutrition but how to properly care for a patient. I only hope that I can give back what they gave
to me.”
So, in the spirit of paying it forward and as many cohorts of newly RD eligible students hit the
pavement in preparation for entry to the field of dietetics, Caitlyn advises: “Two things: One,
don’t be afraid to touch a patient, you need to get in there and learn what edema feels like and
how to do a tube feeding. It will make you a better dietitian. And two, when you become a
dietitian try to precept students if you can and give back what preceptors gave to you.”
And as the seasons shift, Caitlyn is looking forward to spending more time at the “shore for sure
and my own little town of Haddon Township.”
