Zoe Panarella

10/7/16
RDN Report

For my report I interviewed a women named Mary Maloy. She is a Registered Dietitian
who works in New Haven. Marys route to Dietetics started when she went to SUNY Oneonta
and completed with a BS in Nutrition & Dietetics. She completed her BS in 1975 with only 3
other people in her class. She started her internship at the University of Virginia in 1977. Mary
commented on the fact that her internship seemed to prepare her exclusively for a hospital
position. Mary also added that her internship was very competitive and at times felt like medical
school!
Mary has worked plenty of unique jobs as a dietician. She started off working in a
hospital for 8 years. She was a RD in oncology, endocrinology, and cardiology. She mentioned
that she set up an outpatient cardiac Rehab program in 1984 where she had a special nutrition
clinic and cooking school. She said that this was her favorite position. She continued this job for
another 15 years. She added outpatient endocrinology, outpatient cardiology and outpatient heart
failure clinics into her practice. She also maintained a large (private) catering company and a
private medical nutrition therapy practice. About 5 years ago she took a new position as RD for
the City of New Haven Employee Wellness Program. Mary added that with most of the positions
she has help she has been the only RD in each program, so she was able to design each position
along with the job descriptions and protocols. She added that she enjoyed the independence and
the opportunities to be creative. Along with these jobs she has published cookbooks, brochures,
newspaper articles and instructional materials.
Marys perception of dietetics is undergoing a lot change. She felt like for most of her
career other professionals did value her ideas or input. She started to refer to herself as a
nutritionist. When she worked at the hospital she felt that other medical professionals didnt
value her opinion. Since then she felt that this has changed, more Dietitians work at hospitals and
have a stronger presence. She felt that her professional affiliation to The Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics has not been open minded or encouraging. Their paid endorsements by private
groups has been a real problem for her. On a positive note Mary has found that throughout the
years of being a dietician, the job has taken a positive turn. Dietitians are gaining respect in their
fields and more opportunities are being opened for them.