Beyond Your Six Words: “Nurturing and healing through better eating.”

After an established career in commercial real estate, Darienne Hall was ready for a new direction. So she enrolled in the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions to obtain her Master of Clinical Nutrition, as part of the first master’s program in the school.

“At midlife, when I became an empty nester, I wanted to make some changes. I really had a passion for nutrition at home, and for helping people,” Mrs. Hall said. “Cancer has also personally impacted me, as my father and two of my friends passed away from it. I saw becoming a registered dietitian as a way to tie all these experiences and passions together.”

Before taking the big career change leap, a friend undergoing cancer treatments suggested that Mrs. Hall shadow her clinical dietitian to get a feel for the job. Mrs. Hall was sold.

At the time, the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions was switching its Clinical Nutrition program to a master’s program. Mrs. Hall’s research project was with a dietitian at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. After she graduated in 2012, that mentor told Mrs. Hall she was leaving her position, and asked if she would be interested in interviewing for it.

“I was quite delighted to do so, and quite delighted to get the position!” Mrs. Hall said.

Mrs. Hall now has many credentials: Master of Clinical Nutrition (MCN), Registered Dietitian (RD), Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition (CSO), and Licensed Dietitian (LD) by the State of Texas. She spends most of her time directly consulting patients who are undergoing their first round of intravenous chemotherapy.

“I love walking into a room – for what is typically someone’s first day of chemotherapy, which is a stressful day – and just sitting down with people whom I’ve never met and having a connection, and helping ease some of the stress,” Mrs. Hall said. “I’m constantly amazed at the positive energy that comes from our cancer patients.

“I consider it a privilege to work here,” she continued. “I gain back as much from my patients as they hopefully gain from me. On January 1, no one writes ‘get cancer’ on their list of New Year’s resolutions. It turns your life upside down. If I can help steady the ship, then that makes getting up and going to work every day a rewarding experience. I’ve never once second-guessed my career change.”

Mrs. Hall and her colleagues have a keen insight into the relationships people have with food, especially people who might be questioning what they can and cannot eat during a pivotal time in their lives.

“There’s a lot of stress around food, because that’s often one of the few things our patients have control over,” Mrs. Hall said. “We try to demystify some of the things they’re reading on the internet and hear from their friends. I had one patient who would only eat vegetable broth because she thought she couldn’t have any carbs and all these other kinds of foods. Of course, she was losing a lot of weight – but after we consulted with her she’s gained a lot of it back and she’s happier and enjoying food again.”

Mrs. Hall also emphasizes that food can be a language of love, providing comfort – the “nurturing” part of her six-word story: “We also find a lot of friends and family of cancer patients find peace in being able to prepare and share food with patients,” Mrs. Hall said.

When asked for her diet advice for the general population – not just for cancer patients – Mrs. Hall emphasizes that diet doesn’t just affect heart health and chances for diabetes, but also cancer risk.

"Any diet that eliminates an entire food group is probably a fad diet,” she said. “Your best bet is to keep up your fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, and moderate sugars and processed and red meats. A Mediterranean-style diet is a good guideline to use.”