Dietitian

Marshall University•Huntington, WV

20d

About The Position

Marshall University and Marshall Health Network seek a Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN) to integrate evidence-based clinical nutrition care with clinical and translational research. The position allocates 30% of effort to clinical care and 70% to research, with a central role in large projects and clinical trials focused on obesity, diabetes, and cardiometabolic disease, as well as developing clinical services. The dietitian provides nutrition assessment, medical nutrition therapy, counseling, education, and care planning across the continuum of care. In collaboration with clinical and research teams, the role supports disease prevention, chronic disease management, wellness, and patient self-management while translating research findings into improvements in nutrition care. Clinical work includes comprehensive nutrition assessments; individualized medical nutrition therapy for diabetes and prediabetes, obesity and weight management, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension; patient and caregiver counseling; culturally responsive education; monitoring outcomes; and coordination with interdisciplinary professionals. The dietitian also contributes to group education, community outreach, population health, and care for rural and underserved communities. Research work includes supporting the development and implementation of clinical, translational, and nutrition studies; designing and delivering nutrition interventions; recruiting and following participants; collecting and maintaining study data; coordinating study activities; contributing to data analysis and scholarly products; and translating findings into clinical protocols and care pathways. Research must follow approved protocols, Good Clinical Practice, IRB requirements, human-subjects protections, institutional policies, and applicable regulations. The dietitian also participates in quality improvement, service evaluation, and clinical protocol development; follows documentation, privacy, safety, and professional practice requirements; maintains current knowledge through continuing professional development; and coordinates clinical and study schedules with the supervisor and interdisciplinary teams. Throughout employment, the successful candidate must maintain active RD/RDN registration, applicable state licensure or certification, required continuing professional education, and institutional clinical credentialing and research training, as applicable.

Requirements

Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD/RDN).
Maintain active RD/RDN registration throughout employment.
Maintain applicable state licensure or certification throughout employment.
Maintain required continuing professional education throughout employment.
Maintain institutional clinical credentialing and research training, as applicable.

Responsibilities

Conduct comprehensive nutrition assessments using clinical standards and evidence-based guidelines, considering medical history, laboratory values, medications, dietary intake, anthropometric measures, and social and behavioral factors.
Develop individualized care plans and provide medical nutrition therapy for diabetes and prediabetes, obesity and weight management, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.
Provide individual counseling to patients and families or caregivers.
Deliver culturally responsive, patient-centered education that establishes realistic goals, supports behavior change, and addresses health literacy, food access, and other barriers to care.
Monitor progress, evaluate outcomes, and adjust nutrition interventions based on clinical response and treatment goals.
Document assessments, interventions, and outcomes accurately and promptly in the electronic health record.
Collaborate with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, behavioral health providers, and other professionals to coordinate care, referrals, and transitions across care settings.
Develop education materials and facilitate group classes, workshops, and wellness programs.
Contribute to community outreach and population health activities supporting prevention, nutrition access, and self-management, including in rural and underserved communities.
Participate in developing and implementing clinical, translational, and nutrition research studies, including large projects and clinical trials addressing obesity, diabetes, and cardiometabolic disease.
Help formulate clinically relevant research questions, review scientific literature, develop study protocols and data-collection procedures, and design and deliver nutrition-related study interventions.
Recruit, screen, and enroll participants and obtain informed consent as appropriate to training, delegated responsibilities, and IRB-approved procedures.
Support participant engagement and follow-up.
Collect and maintain accurate dietary, clinical, behavioral, and anthropometric data; administer dietary assessments and validated nutrition research tools consistently with study protocols.
Maintain research records and databases, perform data-quality checks, resolve discrepancies with the study team, and protect participant confidentiality and data integrity.
Collaborate with investigators, research coordinators, clinicians, statisticians, and other research personnel to coordinate study activities and meet project milestones.
Contribute with investigators and statisticians to data analysis and interpretation, including evaluation of nutrition interventions and clinical and research outcomes.
Contribute to abstracts, posters, manuscripts, reports, presentations, grant applications, and other scholarly products; present findings internally and, as appropriate, at professional and scientific meetings.
Conduct research according to approved protocols, Good Clinical Practice, IRB requirements, human-subjects protections, institutional policies, and applicable regulations; complete required training and report study concerns through established procedures.
Translate research findings into clinical protocols, education, and care pathways; use observations from patient care to identify research questions and evaluate opportunities to improve nutrition services.
Participate in quality-improvement activities, service evaluation, and clinical protocol development to improve nutrition care, patient experience, and health outcomes.
Follow organizational documentation, privacy, safety, and professional practice requirements in clinical and research activities.
Maintain current knowledge of nutrition science, medical nutrition therapy, clinical guidelines, and research methods through continuing professional development.
Coordinate clinical schedules and study responsibilities with the supervisor and interdisciplinary teams to sustain meaningful direct patient care within the 30% clinical and 70% research allocation.
Maintain active RD/RDN registration, applicable state licensure or certification, required continuing professional education, and institutional clinical credentialing and research training, as applicable.