Dr. Isobel Contento is a Professor in Nutrition Education and Coordinator of the Nutrition Program in the Department of Health and Behavior Studies at Teachers College Columbia University. She has been working in the nutrition field since 1978, working with the science of food as well as teaching people throughout Harlem how to eat healthier. Read more about Dr. Contento below!
Q: What brought you to a career in nutrition?
A: I was always interested in the sciences, and didn't quite know which direction to go, but I wanted to do something that would be practical. I started out in biology and immunology and worked in a lab, but realized that wasn't where I wanted to be. I wanted to do something that would impact the general population more directly. Personally, I was always interested in nutrition and read a lot of popular nutrition books. Based on what I learned, I decided to make nutrition my professional interest as well.
Q: Do you have anything to share with people interested in working in the nutrition field?
A: I think nutrition is an exciting field. It's exciting because it's based on nutrition science as well as psychology and behavioral sciences in order to help people make changes in their diet so they can be healthier. To prepare for being in the field, people need to have a background in organic chemistry, biochemistry, as well as anatomy and physiology--young people should focus on these subjects in high school and college, and older people interested in joining the field will need to take these classes to have a basic foundation in the field. For the science part, you need to understand the chemistry and physiology of how the body works and what happens to food when it comes into the body. The psychology and education part is finding out why people eat what they do.
Q: What types of jobs could a person do in the nutrition field?
A: The field is broad enough to be able to change careers several times and stay within the same field. For example, you might start out working with people who already have illnesses. Next, you might work with people to prevent disease. Or, you might decide you are more interested in food aspects, which is food systems (organic food or local farms), access to food, or education about foods through gardening and cooking. Another option includes food communications in different media to tell people about food or nutrition messages to the public. Finally, there is food safety where you learn how to help people keep their food safe from bacteria and other things that can make people. It's such a wide field. The career options are endless.