DIVERSITY CORNER
Diversity in Dietetics: Pro Bono vs. Quid Pro Quo D R . CA R E E J. COT W R I G H T PHD, RDN DIVERSITY LIAISON
It is customary for attorneys to offer their services pro bono, or free of charge, for clients in need. Another common practice in the legal field is arranging a quid pro quo for their clients. Grammarly defines a quid pro quo as “doing something in exchange for something else.” I offer a unique application for both terms when considering how to promote diversity in the field of dietetics. I have a close friend who offered her dietetics skills pro bono, and she gained understanding and empathy in a way like no other. My friend volunteered at a local health clinic to give her talent to people who would otherwise not have access to a registered dietitian. The sessions changed their lives, but unexpectedly also changed hers. She told me that she volunteered all those years because she was an outsider through and through. "Here I was trying to develop a nutrition education resource for an audience that I knew nothing about. I wasn’t southern, I didn’t know anything about the south, and I’d never struggled with limited income, so I wanted to just hang out with people that I intended to serve." Since she couldn’t just “hang out” and get to know everyone, she opted to use her RDN skill set as an “in” so that people would have a reason to want to hang out with her (in appointments). She found that her pro bono sessions quickly became a quid pro quo. “I got to learn about their lives, and they got to learn about how to manage diabetes,” she told me with a bright smile. My friend also revealed her volunteerism could not be a “one-off.” She gained full immersion with her clients. She got to know their challenges, but more importantly, their strengths. In my own ventures into being a nutrition entrepreneur, I seek to determine how to interpret scientific
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messages to the masses. I am sifting through nutrition research outcomes and landing them on the plates of everyday people so they can take it in bite by bite. When I started, I wrestled with knowing the endgame and ultimately the pay scale for what
Here I was trying to develop a nutrition education resource for an audience that I knew nothing about. I
I was doing. One day, I decided to just do it and give it away. I’ve been putting myself out there; speaking, teaching, cooking and leading in my way. I honestly do not know where this pro bono approach will lead, but I do know it is a part of my mission, which somehow makes the path seem clearer. I hope you are inspired to promote diversity in dietetics without expectation. You may find that your pro bono heart leads your mind to a quid pro quo that you never expected. After all, learning about yourself and others while offering your clients a place at the table with delicious, hearty, nutritious nuggets, of course, is priceless.
wasn’t southern, I didn’t know anything about the south, and I’d never struggled with limited income, so I wanted to just hang out with people that I intended to serve.
Caree J. Cotwright is a registered dietitian, lover of food and cooking and an assistant professor at the University of Georgia.
