CAPT Edith Clark, MBA, RD, CDE
Chief Dietitian Officer
Director, Nutrition Services
Phoenix Indian Medical Center
•Describe
personal career progression
•Differentiate opportunities for dietitians in the
Indian Health Service
•Identify ways dietitians can contribute to the
USPHS mission within the Indian Health Service
•The
only dietitian for a geographic area the size
of the state of Oregon
•Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital
serves 57 villages between the Yukon and
Kuskokwim Rivers.
•Duties
included supervision of food
service staff, inpatient, ambulatory and
public health functions.
•Accompanied patients back to their
villages to work with their community
regarding healthy choices/lifestyle
changes
•Collateral
duties included
reviewing/analyzing menus for Head
Start, local jail and the “prematernal home”
•Planned the menu for the “Kusko-300”
Musher’s Banquet
•Learned many different ways to prepare
and serve salmon!!
•Began
my USPHS career in Chinle as the
Supervisory Dietitian and only dietitian at
the hospital
•Supervised the Food Service staff,
provided inpatient and limited outpatient
services
•Created a clinical dietitian position and
was able to hire a Native American RD
•Assisted
Head Start with their meal/snack
menus
•Provided consultative services to the local
tribal nursing home on an occasional basis
•Collaborated with the local WIC dietitian
to schedule volleyball tournaments during
National Nutrition Month and sponsored a
contest with the youth on their
interpretation of the NNM theme.
•Duties
included supervision of food
service staff, inpatient, ambulatory and
public health functions.
•Worked collaboratively with Public Health
Nursing, Social Services, Community
Health Reps (CHR’s) and tribal diabetes
program to provide screening/educational
events to all of the 11 Hopi villages
•Assisted
Head Start with their meal/snack
menus
•Served as Project Officer for the Special
Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI)
•Provided assistance to the Elderly
Nutrition Programs, taught nutrition
classes to the CHR’s.
•Transferred
to Phoenix Indian Medical
Center in 1999 as a Community Dietitian
•Was appointed as “Acting”
Director in 2002
•Was appointed permanent Director,
Nutrition Services in 2003
•Duties
included supervision of the
inpatient, ambulatory/community and
food service section
•Chief Dietitian Officer 2009-2013
•Director/Preceptor,
Southwestern Dietetic
Internship Consortium
•Phoenix Area Nutrition Contact
•Participated at the National level in the
MNT workgroup, assisted with the
development of national Diabetes
curricula.
•Expanded
Employee Meal Program to
include breakfast
•Expanded clinical services to include
Nutrition/Oncology and Nutrition for a
Bariatric Program
•Added tele-nutrition to the ambulatory
section
•Created a dietetic internship with a focus
on Native American dietetic graduates.
•Master’s
Degree in Business Administration
•Certified Diabetes Educator
•Certified in Adult Weight Management
•ServSafe Certified
•Project Officer Training
•Working
with underserved and vulnerable
populations
•Flexibility within your duties
•Opportunity to take on additional duties such as
Project Officer for Diabetes Programs, Head Start,
WIC programs, Elderly Nutrition Programs and
providing nutrition training for Community
Health Representatives (CHR’s)
•Unforgettable
cultural opportunities.
•Professional satisfaction
•Great outdoor activities
•Cultural
differences
•Language barriers
•Learning to work through interpreters
•Learning about the various traditional
foods
•Get
involved in your facility, the PAC and
the Corps at the national level
•Get involved in your local community
•Let people know who you are and what
makes you stand out as an officer in the
USPHS.
QUESTIONS?
CAPT Edith Clark
Chief Dietitian Officer, USPHS
Edith.Clark@ihs.gov