It was a series of unexpected events when on a whim, Rachel Murphy, RD ’04 came to visit the fashion program at Syracuse University. Alone among groups of tours, Murphy was directed to the Dean’s Office. Suddenly, she found herself talking about her interests with then interim Dean, Lois Schroeder, RD, Ph.D.
“I had very a strong conviction about body image and how the fashion industry is not conducive to healthy eating,” says Murphy, whose friends had suffered from eating disorders. Fashion and nutrition were in the same college at the time, and after listening to Murphy, Schrader challenged her, asking, “Rachel, how would you like to help people eat healthier?”
Kay Stearns Bruening, RDN, Ph.D., associate professor and undergraduate program director of the Nutrition Science and Dietetics Program, worked with Murphy during her undergraduate years. “Rachel sought and gained opportunities to expand her expertise in various sub-disciplines of nutrition. She seemed to gravitate towards community and public health nutrition and towards promoting the health and well-being of children,” says Bruening
One of Rachel’s earliest roles was in Onondaga County’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program. “My perspective on life changed dramatically having that experience. It was something that I used as a launching pad to gain insight into the depth of poverty in Syracuse, New York.”
It’s a reality that Murphy recognizes as the current director of Food and Nutrition Services for the Syracuse City School District (SCSD). She considers challenges and opportunities that many school meal plans don’t need to think about—poverty, food access, and childhood hunger. “We have a huge number of children and a responsibility to take care of them.”
More than 21,000 children are enrolled in SCSD schools. Every day, they are served breakfast, lunch, and snack, as well as supper for some afterschool programs, and 83 percent qualify for free/reduced meal plans.
The weekend is particularly troubling. “I have a very difficult time being OK with my children in the school district leaving on Friday and not getting fed again until Monday,” she notes.
Though there are community programs, young children are unlikely to find these resources. “Unfortunately, a lot of the opportunities in our environment are not healthy opportunities. Many children end up in corner stores where the big ticket items are beer, lottery tickets and tobacco.” Murphy is currently fundraising for Blessings in a Backpack, a program that provides backpacks filled with fresh food for the weekend to children in need.
Children are familiar with their school environments, making it the perfect place for them to access wholesome food. What’s more, the approach can lead to countless benefits. “If we offer [food] through the school system, we see increased participation in programs and lower absenteeism,” she says.
Bruening notes that approximately two-thirds of registered dietitians/nutritionists work outside of hospitals, citing a 2016 Commission on Dietetic Registration survey which indicates 32 percent of registered dietitians/nutritionists work in acute care or hospital inpatient.
Murphy believes that there is great need for nutrition experts in roles outside the hospital setting. For aspiring nutritionists who want to change a culture, “this path is for you,” she says. “Take the torch and run with it.”