Meet Pao Ying Hsiao, PhD, RDN, LDN, who found her dream job by laterally networking. Who you know matters and making connections with all people (peers included) can result in getting referrals for new opportunities. Dr. Hsiao shares her successful career path as an Associate Professor. - Sarah

What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics?
I grew up in a Taiwanese family, where food is central to everything. Food is very much viewed as central to wellness. I remember my mom telling me as a little girl to eat this or that because it would give me pretty skin (e.g., pigs feet) or improve my vision (e.g., fish eyes). My mom also frequently said to me “if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.” I didn’t truly grasp the truth in this until very recently. When I found out that I could make a career out of food and health, I was all on board.

Your Job Title?
Associate Professor

Company you are with now?
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)

Website:

https://www.iup.edu/foodnutrition/

Social Media

- Instagram:@dr.misohungry

- LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/paoyinghsiao

- Twitter:@paoying

Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you?
As a professor, I teach a variety of classes in nutrition to dietetics majors and also to non-majors. I teach foundational nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, advanced human metabolism, nutrition and aging, and nutrition epidemiology and public health. While I do teach 4 classes each semester, most of my time is not spent in the classroom in front of students surprisingly. I spend a lot of my time preparing my lessons and also grading assignments. Many days I have meetings with other faculty members and also with students. As faculty advisor of the IUP Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics, I’m often meeting with students to help them plan nutrition-related events on campus and around the community. I also spend some of my time working on research projects. Right now, I am currently working with faculty in several other disciplines (nursing, speech-language pathology, and theater) to examine the use of interprofessional simulation experiences for undergraduate students to teach team communication. What I like best about my job is that it’s semester-based. So with each semester, I pretty much get a new schedule and a new set of students to teach. It feels like a fresh start and keeps me from getting bored.

How did you get your current job in dietetics?
After finishing my PhD, someone at IUP knew I was looking for a job and so I applied. I’m always sharing with my students that networking, especially “laterally” networking (networking with their peers, who will eventually be in positions to make recommendations about hiring) is essential. Almost every single job that I have taken since college has been shared with me through my professional network.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way?
I’m naturally inclined to want to help people. I love helping students figure out how to get to where they want to be, whether that be by connecting them with a dietitian in the area that they are interested in, encouraging them to sign up for a leadership workshop or guiding them in figuring out their future careers. What is most satisfying is when students write me note after graduation telling me how they passed the RD exam or got their first job.

I have learned to not be afraid of failure and criticism, but to use it to improve. What surprised me the most about academia was how much rejection and failure you might encounter. I remember finishing up my first semester teaching and receiving my end-of-the-semester evaluations back from the students. While the majority of the comments were positive, there were a handful that seemed like they described a teacher that was the complete opposite of what I tried to portray as a caring and respectful professor. I remember being devastated and questioning my career choice. Since then, I have realized that no matter what, you can’t please everyone and all that you can do is try your best.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you?
No matter what job you end up with, you will likely have multiple projects/tasks to juggle. Not only that, you are also simultaneously managing life outside of your job. The biggest thing that has helped me is to find a system to organize and track the various projects or tasks that need to be completed. For me, I find that if I don’t write something down, I forget it. But it’s not only that I need to write it down, but that I need to write it down in a place that I will refer to. So, I keep a binder with a page for each project that I’m working on. It’s like a to-do list divided by project. I find that if I know where I am with each project, it is easier for me to know what the next step is. Managing my work life has helped me to increase my productivity, which in turn has helped me to then intentionally decide how I want to spend my free time away from work.

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what
would it be?
Since I love to travel, I would want to get paid in airline tickets. I have a goal to travel to at least one new country or place each year. This year, we visited Singapore because I enjoyed watching the film “Crazy Rich Asians.” Another thing I would want to get paid in is temporary tattoos, especially any that are related to food. I think temporary tattoos are such a fun accessory!