Meet the Dietitian: Tracy Lockwood

Meet Tracy Lockwood, MS, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian with her own private practice. Tracy acts as her “client’s personal cheerleader” and works to make a difference in their lives. Tracy has a wide variety of experience as a dietitian and lucky for us, we got the chance to talk to her about her career so far.

Why and how did you decide to become a dietitian?

When my grandfather was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, all I wanted to do was help him. So, I started to learn all there was to know about eating right in order to treat his disease. My curiosity in food quickly led me towards roaming around the grocery store for hours with my mom and learning what foods my grandfather should eat more and less of. I thought, “If can help him with my suggestions and scientifically backed reasoning, can’t I help more people just like him?” And before I knew it, I was only applying to colleges that allowed me to study nutritional to become a registered dietitian as soon as possible.

Can you tell us about your career to date?

I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed my dietetic internship and received my Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University.  Since then, I’ve worked with diverse populations of all ages in a variety of settings, such as corporate wellness, clinical, private practice, schools, food service, long term and short term care and rehabilitation centers. There is no better way to find out what population and settings you want to work in without trying as many as possible!

What advice do you have for dietitians just getting started?

No matter where you practice as a registered dietitian, I promise that you are making a big difference.

How do you think Technology is changing the way dietitians are practicing care?

With social media and telehealth communication platforms, we now have an easier and direct way to reach the masses. Technology allows us to streamline our communication with other health care providers also caring for our clients which can ultimately improve our overall quality of care.

Why are you excited about Healthie?

I’m excited to finally have an easy and organized platform that requires me to upload and organize documents without searching and scavenging my inbox and folders for new and existing files for my clients. The less time I have to spend finding files for clients, the more time I can spend helping them. Healthie also organizes my communication and appointments with my clients. You have to start and stay organized in private practice and technology platforms like Healthie makes it all possible! Seems like a golden solution to me… Thanks Healthie!!