Student Profile: Kristina O'Neil

Q: You are a dietetic intern here at UMass. How did you get started in the program?

I did my master's degree in nutrition here at UMass. I liked the program and the faculty of the nutrition department so much that after I graduated, I decided to apply for the dietetic internship program at UMass. Now, as a dietetic intern, I am completing my rotations and supervised hours to be able to take my exam to become a registered dietitian.

Q: What do you do during your internship?

There are three major rotations as part of the internship. There's a community, food service, and clinical rotation.

For my community rotation, I was able to work on a Produce Prescription Program (PRx) in Springfield with Dr. Lorraine Cordeiro and Bi-sek Hsiao from the Nutrition department. It was a fantastic experience. That program connects hospitals and health clinics with local farmers and other entities in the food supply chain to improve food access and promote healthy eating. Through that, I was able to go out in the community, build an 8-week-long nutrition curriculum, and provide nutrition education.

For the food service rotation, I worked in the Chicopee Public Schools system. It was a great experience. I learned about food service management and how it operates within the school system. The Chicopee Public School system has a fantastic farm-to-school program, and it was great being involved in that.

Currently, I am in my clinical rotation at Mercy Medical Center. My day-to-day life looks very different than the other two rotations. I see patients and provide nutrition education, calculating tube feeds, and everything in between.

I'm surprised with how much I enjoyed my food service rotation. For many interns, the food service rotation is not necessarily the most exciting part, but I think where I did it, there was a lot to offer. These rotations do a great job of allowing interns to immerse themselves in very different settings. After completing this program, I can see myself being happy working in a few different areas.

Q: What drew you to UMass and your internship?

The dietetic internship at UMass is unique because it has a large community emphasis. It went hand in hand with the work that I was previously doing in my master's degree at UMass. This was one of the largest factors when choosing where I wanted to do my internship.

I'm also from Western Mass. I grew up in Holyoke and I’ve spent most of my life here. Through this community-based work, I can give back to the people and places that have supported me.

For students who are thinking about applying to dietetic internship programs and want to work in a community setting, UMass is the place to do your rotations.

Q: You have been able to work on several community-based projects during your time at UMass. Can you explain those projects?

I’ve been able to work on two separate projects during my time here at UMass. During my master's degree, I started working with Dr. Lorraine Cordeiro on the Springfield Produce Prescription Program (PRx).

I am also working on a Food Is Medicine project with Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz. I had the opportunity to go to the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference in Napa Valley, California in February 2023. It was a great way to not only learn about the creative ways that other medical professionals are teaching nutrition and culinary medicine to their patients, but also how they are implementing different programming in their communities.

Q: What do you plan to do after the internship?

I have always been passionate about diabetes education. I would love to find myself working in an outpatient diabetes care setting, but I am staying open to the idea of many different opportunities.