Kathryn Rioch EdD, MS, RDN, LDN

Chair, Allied Health Sciences & Distance Education

Kathryn Rioch EdD, MS, RDN, LDN, has been Chair of the College of Allied Health and Distance Education along with Program Director of the new Master of Science in Medical Sciences program at the Illinois campus since 2023. She has also been an instructor since 2010, teaching nutrition-related courses within the College of Allied Health and the College of Professional Sciences.

Before teaching at NUHS, Dr. Rioch practiced within clinical and consulting dietetics.

“Much of nutrition counseling relates to teaching and instruction, so I knew that I wanted to take those skills another step further by educating the next generation of health care providers,” she said.

She appreciates the positive, holistic environment at NUHS. “The primary focus on well-being and community is quite unique,” she said. “I truly enjoy supporting the achievement of each student’s goals and providing academic mentorship along their journey here at NUHS.”

Dr. Rioch has over 20 years of experience in nutrition and dietetics as a registered and licensed dietitian-nutritionist.  She received her Doctor of Education from Maryville University in 2021 and received her Master of Science in Nutrition and Wellness from Benedictine University in 2014. Additionally, she completed her dietetic internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2002.

She recently contributed “Stages and Processes of Health Behavior Change” and “Principles and Theories of Learning” chapters of the textbook, Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals, 7th Edition, which will be published in 2023. Her educational research project, “Relationships Between Online Student Engagement Practices and GPA Among RN-to-BSN Students,” was published in Online Learning in 2022.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending her free time being active with her husband and children.