Patrice Paolella is NJAND’s January 2023 RD of the month!
Patrice was born and raised in Morris County, NJ. She attended Quinnipiac University in Connecticut where she received a Bachelor of Arts in BioPsychology. Patrice completed her DPD program at Montclair State University and did her Dietetic Internship through New York Presbyterian Weil-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. She went on to receive a Masters in Public Health from Hunter College, also in New York City, where she lived for a few years until finding her way back to the Garden State.
In searching for a career, Patrice wanted to find a profession that she loved and didn’t think of as work. Fortunately, she was able to merge her two passions; food and talking to people. Patrice has always had a passion for educating others to live a healthy lifestyle. During her DPD experience she wanted to see what area of dietetics she was drawn to so, she worked part time in a hospital as a diet clerk which gave her the ability to see areas of inpatient/outpatient, and food service. She also interned at a food magazine and The TV Food Network in New York City. Both of these experiences helped her to hone in on the area of nutrition that she was passionate about, education.
Patrice obtained her Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Credential in 2005. Over the past twenty years she has worked in various ambulatory care settings educating and supporting people with diabetes. Early on in her career she found it challenging to get patients to recognize the need to change their behavior for disease prevention. She was able to fine tune her skills by staying up-to-date with the most current evidence which in turn, allowed her to help her patients make healthy lifestyle changes for themselves.
“The field of dietetics is so broad and always evolving. There is a place for nutrition and dietetics in almost any area of choice.” Patrice advises future nutrition professionals to “find your passion, do your research and stay up to date with current evidence.”
Patrice has been fortunate to have had many mentors throughout her career. Each one encouraged her not to settle for mediocre, to go above and beyond, and to keep learning.
Recently Patrice transitioned from patient care to academia, as she felt it was her time to give back to the dietetics profession and share her experiences with future generations of dietitians. Currently, she is a lecturer with Rutgers University Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences with the Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition for Aspiring Dietitians program. In this role Patrice facilitates five graduate courses and mentors students during their clerkship rotations.
Patrice is a volunteer at the Rutgers University RBHS Food Pantry at Newark Health Sciences where she assists with fulfilling orders and stocking shelves. She is also on the nominating committee for the New Jersey Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics where she actively seeks candidates for open positions on the board.
When not at work or volunteering, Patrice has her hands full with two school-aged boys! You can find them outdoors hiking, jumping on the trampoline, kicking around the soccer ball, going to Yankees games or just chilling at home and watching movies.
Connect with her on facebook: Patrice Paolella
Connect with her on Instagram: pat.ricemp
