The Eating Disorder Specialist reports to the Assistant Director of Sports provides nutrition services and specialized expertise to the Sports Nutrition program through the Optimal Performance Team(OPT). The Optimal Performance team provides multi-disciplinary care to student athletes with disordered eating to optimize the health and performance of student athletes. Primary responsibilities include individual nutrition counseling; team education; serving as a food and nutrition resource for coaches, athletic trainers, medical and mental health providers, other nutrition providers and sports performance staff; and maintaining professional competency and skills required for professional practice.

Essential Duties:

• Individual Nutrition Counseling • Assess and analyze dietary practices, body composition, and energy balance of athletes in the context of athletic performance and health. Screens for the presence of disordered eating behaviors. • Coordinate nutritional care as a member of multidisciplinary sports medicine teams (OPT). • Participate in the development of personalized Master Treatment Plan/Caloric Meal Plans related to Return to Sport, Play of Sport, Return to Competition by the OPT for individual athletes. Provide personalized meal, supplements and snack plans. • Consults with medical and mental health providers on an as needed basis to ensure that the nutritional and psychological needs of individual athletes are being met. • Develop and counsel regarding hydration protocols. • Counsel athletes on optimal nutrition for exercise training, competition, recovery from exercise, weight management, hydration, immunity, disordered eating, travel, and supplementation. • Address nutritional challenges to performance, such as food allergies, bone mineral disturbances, gastrointestinal disturbances, iron depletion, and iron-deficiency anemia. • Counsel athletes on optimal nutrition for recovery from illness or injury. • Evaluate dietary supplements based on rules and regulations of the NCAA and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) • Develop resources to support educational efforts. • Document nutrition services provided and evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition strategies towards meeting desired outcomes. • Provides nutrition education for teams or groups • Recommend appropriate pre-, during, and post-exercise fluids and snacks for individual team practice, and competition. • Educate regarding food selection (grocery store tours, food storage) and food preparation (cooking classes) • Serve as a nutrition resource for coaches, sports performance staff, athletic trainers, food service personnel, and parents related to disordered eating in student athletes
• Leadership • Supports the strategic plan for the program. • Assist in the supervision of dietetic interns and Sports Nutrition student workers • Remain current with the latest performance nutrition scientific research and translating this to policy and practice • Assist in developing policies and processes related to care of athletes with disordered eating. Ensuring quality and consistency in clinical, food service, and education programming through training and quality management studies.
• Professional Development • Maintain dietetic registration and continuing education requirements. • Stay current on food, nutrition, and health issues including research related to eating disorders in student athletes.
• Miscellaneous • Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Req Bachelor’s Degree in Arts/Sciences (BA/BS) Nutrition, exercise physiology, or related field

• Req Experience working with nutritional needs of athletes with disordered eating

• Req Ability to work on a multi-disciplinary team
• Req Attention to detail when performing assigned tasks
• Req Excellent time and priority management, organizational, and record-keeping skills
• Req Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to interact with a wide variety of individuals within a diverse environment
• Req Strong interpersonal skills, presentation, and counseling skills
• Req Ability to work a non-standard workweek which may include nights, weekends, and holidays
• Req Ability to operate with the highest standards of impartiality and professional treatment
• Req Ability to uphold the core values of Keck Medicine and USC Athletics in all aspect of work and operate in an ethical manner
• Req Ability to comply with disclosure regulations relative to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) and the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act(FERPA)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Pref Master’s degree in Arts/Sciences (MA/MS) Nutrition, exercise physiology, or related field
• Pref Experience with eating disorders in the collegiate setting
• Pref Knowledge of rules and regulations of the Pac 12 Conference

Required Licenses/Certifications:

• Req Registered Dietitian - RD Commission on Dietetic Registration of the American Dietetic Association
• Req Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD)
• Req Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association
• Req Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire, and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only) ***Per LA Fire City Code regulations If working within the following areas, employee is exempt from this requirement: Student Health Center and Athletics facilities (within “B” occupancy).