GOLD Speakers
Rachel M. Dean, MPH, RDN, LDN, IBCLC, RLC
- Country: United States of America
Biography:
Rachel M. Dean serves as a Registered Dietitian and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Her passion for nutrition began after recognizing and becoming saddened by the fact that many individuals were suffering from ailments that likely could have been prevented.
In 2010 she began providing maternal and pediatric nutrition counseling through government programs (including 7 years with WIC), hospitals and outpatient clinical settings. Over the years she has provided services throughout the country and has conducted trainings both locally and internationally.
Rachel studied Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University. Further curiosity in preventative measures for optimal health sparked her interest in learning more about feeding and the periods of infancy and young childhood. Rachel returned to school in 2012 and earned a Master’s in Public Health from the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC Chapel Hill, where she also completed her lactation training through the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute.
Rachel serves as the Region 3 Lactation Trainer for the North Carolina WIC LATCH Program, providing lactation and nutrition trainings for WIC agencies, hospitals and outpatient offices across the state. She also serves as the owner of Harmony Nutrition & Lactation, where she supports parents of color and helps them feel comfortable with nourishing themselves and their little ones.
Around 2017, she began to feel that although the experiences she gained were extremely valuable, there were still gaps in service and many families in the community that still needed support. Rachel is particularly passionate about decreasing racial health disparities and achieving health equity among all people. She helped create and was the Program
Director for the first two cohorts of the Lactation Consultant Training Program at Johnson C Smith University, the first Pathway 2 training program implemented at a historically black college/university in an effort to help diversify the field of lactation.
She also serves as the Executive Director and Cofounder of Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S., a nonprofit organization that assists new and expectant families of color in improving their overall quality of health and achieving a more balanced lifestyle through nutrition and lactation education and support.
Rachel is committed to life-long learning and providing excellent quality of care. She feels her roles are highly rewarding and loves being able to motivate and assist individuals and families in improving their overall health and well-being.