Opportunities for research-oriented dietitians
Wylie-Rosett, J.; Wheeler, M.; Krueger, K.; Halford, B.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 90(11): 1531-1534
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-8223 PMID: 2229847 Document Number: 352254
Research has been defined as the backbone of our profession (1); the 1984 Study Commission on Dietetics (2) emphasized research activities as a way of enabling our profession to make a maximum contribution to society. Research has also been brought to our attention in recent commentaries in the Journal. Rose (3) indicated that all dietitians can do research in their respective practices; Monsen (4) emphasized that practice and research are tightly linked issues; Sims and Simko (5) discussed why research is necessary to advance dietetic education and practice and encouraged more dietitians to become involved with research; Rinke and Berry (6) called for integrating research into clinical practice; and Mason (7) suggested what could be done to help research-oriented dietitians become more competitive for research funding. In addition, in the Strategic Plan of The American Dietetic Association, our Vision is that "the members of the Association are recognized by the public, government, industry, and allied professions as the experts on food and nutrition as they relate to the quality of life" (8). Clearly we cannot achieve this Vision without quality, ongoing, practice-based research linked with basic nutrition-based research. As dietitians, we have a mandate to become more research-oriented. But how does one do this? What are the barriers to overcome? And what steps might help us in the process of becoming more research-oriented?