Position Summary:
The Culinary Dietitian develops, implements, and manages age- and culturally appropriate culinary medicine and medical nutrition therapy using evidence-based practice and the Nutrition Care Process. This role includes patient/family education, coordination of services in the Teaching Kitchen, staff supervision and training, and program development. The Culinary Dietitian serves as an expert resource to both internal teams and the broader community, integrating culinary nutrition research into practice and promoting innovation and excellence in care delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develops and manages age- and culturally appropriate culinary medicine and medical nutrition therapy using evidence-based guidelines and the Nutrition Care Process. Provides patient/family education and presentations to healthcare teams and the community.
• Coordinates daily clinical and culinary medicine patient/client care in accordance with established standards of care.
• Mentors, teaches, and evaluates dietetic interns/students on pediatric rotations. Consults with clinical staff on culinary nutrition and builds relationships between the hospital and academic community.
• Establishes systems to monitor and evaluate culinary program quality and effectiveness. Coordinates resources and facilitates program implementation. Serves on interdisciplinary and departmental committees and task forces.
• Serves as an expert consultant to physicians and Clinical Nutrition staff in culinary medicine. Applies nutrition research to improve practice and patient care.
• Ensures compliance with accreditation, regulatory, and professional standards. Monitors compliance, identifies needed changes, and develops and implements improvement strategies.
• Maintains knowledge of current food, culinary nutrition, and healthcare trends and integrates findings into practice. Participates in educational forums, journal reviews, and speaking/writing opportunities. Contributes to departmental resources, handbooks, diet manuals, and databases. Develops new recipes (e.g., 4/month) that meet nutritional, sensory, financial, and practical requirements of the target population.
• Maintains professional knowledge through relevant culinary, academic, and research conferences and educational programs. Provides leadership in professional organizations and contributes to publications.
• Provides positive and effective customer service supporting departmental and hospital operations.
• Promotes teamwork within and across departments and organizations.

Qualifications:
Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition & Dietetics or a closely related field required, Master’s degree preferred

Experience:

• 1 year of progressive experience in culinary nutrition and/or clinical dietetics
• Teaching or educational programming experience preferred

Licensure & Certification:

• Registration by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) as a Registered Dietitian
• Licensure by Commonwealth of Massachusetts as Licensed Dietitian-Nutritionist