Alumni Spotlight - Sylvia Crowder

What is your current occupation?
I am an Assistant Member at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. I conduct research to investigate relationships among dietary patterns, eating behaviors, nutritional status, and patient-centered survivorship outcomes such as quality of life and symptom burden in cancer survivors.

What brought you to USI?
I came to USI due to the strong emphasis the college had on Health Professions, smaller class sizes, and wonderful teachers.

Please tell us how the College of Nursing and Health Professions prepared you for your career.
The instructors in the dietetics department helped prepare me for my future career. Though the connections in the department, I was able to work as a diet technician at Deaconess Hospital during my senior year of college. Not only was I learning a tremendous amount of information from the medical nutrition therapy courses Dr. McCullough taught, but I was also able to apply that knowledge in a hospital setting. This experience made me competitive when applying for Dietetic Internships, and I was accepted into my first choice dietetic internship!

Were you in any clubs, organizations, athletics?
I was a member of the Food and Nutrition Student Organization.

What has been your favorite memory of your time at USI?
My favorite memory is walking the nature trails on campus with my dog. 

What would you tell someone who is thinking of coming to USI?
I highly recommend USI. The professors and advisors are incredibly knowledgeable and highlight the importance of critical and applied thinking, which is particularly important for the dietetics profession when the answers are not always black and white. While the coursework is challenging, you learn from faculty who love their careers and want to see you succeed.