Registered dietitian nutritionist pursues a career in research
Kaitlyn Rau, MPH ‘21, RDN
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Bioethics from Michigan State University, Kaitlyn Rau came to the University of Michigan School of Public Health to pursue her MPH in Nutritional Sciences with a focus on dietetics.
She is passionate about child nutrition and now works in nutrition data at Kellogg’s. We asked Kaitlyn about her experiences at Michigan Public Health. Here are her responses.
Why did you choose the University of Michigan School of Public Health for a graduate degree?
I wanted to stay in Michigan near my family. Plus, Michigan Public Health was a top 5 program in the country, and I got a scholarship!
Did you hold a job while pursuing your degree?
Yes, I worked for Dr. Cindy Leung's Family Food Study as a graduate research assistant, and with Sarah Ball as a graduate student course development assistant.
What was your first job out of graduate school?
Nutrition Data Specialist contractor with Kellogg's
What is your passion in nutrition and how did it change over time?
I love learning about chronic disease prevention, improving environmental impacts on health, expanding healthy food availability and working with pediatric populations. These were huge focuses of mine during my MPH program and dietetic internship. I worked on child nutrition research projects, and did the maternal and child nutrition study of focus during my MPH. I had many pediatric-focused rotations during my dietetic internship. Over time, my passion for nutrition has shifted slightly to working on food-related industry projects that can help fuel kids and provide important nutrients. My passions shifted from very patient-focused to population-focused.