Page 29 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)
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Kate Thomas, MS, RDN, LDN Chimene Castor, EdD, RDN, LDN, CHES
Owner of Karuna: Nutrition + Movement Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition
in Massachusetts Sciences at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
One colleague Chimene Castor is always busy doing something
describes Kate to make the world around her a better place.
Thomas as a woman Whether it’s through her nonprofit, Sowing Seeds,
of “compassion” and Inc, which provides nutrition and educational
one who’s worked support to children in Haiti, or in her daily
hard to make “her interactions with students, she’s undoubtedly
dreams come true.” making a difference.
After spend- Originally from Haiti, Castor says the idea of
ing the first half of sowing seeds to produce a harvest came to her
her professional while reading the Bible one day.
life working at an “I have this dream of educating women—the
ad agency, Thomas idea being that you educate a woman and you
wanted more. So, she pursued a dietetics degree educate a nation,” she says. “But we recognize that
with the intention of starting her own nutrition you cannot educate a child that’s hungry, so, first
business—but not just your average private prac- and foremost, we must provide food. We also take
tice. After graduating, she gained experience in care of school uniforms and provide much-needed
the eating disorder space while working at the feminine products.”
Franciscan Hospital for Children and at Walden Though she has an 18-year career as a clinical
Behavioral Care in Massachusetts. She also dietitian for hospital, rehabilitation, and nursing
worked at the Boston Medical Center. She says home centers, Castor now is forging a path for
through these experiences, she learned there’s future dietitians through her roles in academia.
more to nutrition counseling than just teaching Castor is the initiator of the Interprofessional
people about food. This inspired her to create a Education and Practice Health Disparities
private practice equipped with two studios desig- conference for the
nated for physical activity, a teaching kitchen, and College of Nursing
space for individual counseling sessions. Thomas and Allied Health—
describes it as a place where people can take an opportunity, she
“better care of themselves” without being judged. says, that enables her
The two studios are what she calls “movement dietetics students to
studios,” where community classes such as yoga present their work,
and Zumba are held. “A lot of people say they don’t which helps them
have time to exercise, or they don’t like it, or they build self-efficacy and
feel really judged when they’re doing it,” Thomas interact with other
says. “So, I started thinking about how I could professionals for future
combine nutrition and movement in a nonjudg- employment. She also
mental way.” spearheaded the Global
Thomas also encountered many people who Health and Nutrition track for the department
didn’t know how to cook—or didn’t have time. of nutrition sciences and health education. This
This inspired her to create a culinary teaching track enables students to study abroad and take
kitchen in which Thomas cooks with her clients advantage of international service learning.
during counseling sessions—something that’s While serving as clinical coordinator at
facilitating lasting behavior changes in their lives. Howard University between 2012 and 2016, Castor
The name Karuna, Thomas says, is the San- tutored students on weekends in her free time to
skrit word for “compassion,” something she wants prepare them for the Registration Examination
her practice to exude. She’s careful to ensure that for Dietitians. As a result, 100% of the students
even the language used by the fitness instructors who took the exam passed with flying colors.
is on par with the Karuna messaging. There’s no Castor says she always told her students,
talk of exercising to “lose weight” or to “burn calo- “mediocrity is not an option.”
ries.” It’s all about feeling good. Castor also has participated in several health
“We want to talk about fueling our bodies, feel- programs in South Africa, Kenya, Jamaica, Tobago,
ing stronger, and feeling better,” Thomas says. Ghana, and Togo, providing nutrition education
“Our goal is to meet people where they’re at. We and addressing nutritional components of disease.
want everyone to feel safe and not judged when She has coauthored several scientific articles and
they’re at Karuna.” currently is doing research on sleep and diabetes
in the Alzheimer’s population.
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