Meet the Board: Katrina Hoch
This is the latest post in our “Meet the Board” series. Each Monday, we’ll feature one of our 2017-18 board members, not stopping until we run out of board members (in late January).
Katrina Hoch, PhD, MS, RD, CD
Legislative Co-Chair
As Legislative Co-Chair, I help keep the GSDA board and membership informed about legislative and policy developments that pertain to nutrition and dietetics at the federal, state, and local levels. One of my goals is to increase dietitians’ participation in the public sphere, as our expertise is relevant to important to current policy debates ranging from public health to food security to electronic health records to healthcare billing.
I come to dietetics as a career changer—in my previous professional lives I have worked as a sound producer, earned a PhD in Media Studies writing a dissertation about government transparency and the Supreme Court, taught First Amendment law and media history to undergraduates, and did research for an environmental NGO. I went back to school to earn my MS in Nutrition and my RD degree at UW, and since graduating I have worked as an outpatient dietitian at The Emily Program, an eating disorder treatment center, and more recently, just started working as a clinical pediatric dietitian at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Favorite Meal: My favorite meals have been brunches at vegetarian Indian restaurants. In every city where my husband and I have lived, one of the first things we do upon moving to town is look up where the South Indian restaurants are. I love dosas, dahl, and any kind of chutney.
Favorite form of physical activity: Biking to work puts me in a good mood, and for that reason I have always tried to find a way to do it, in a variety of different cities, careers, and circumstances. On my days off, I love running, and I have a favorite route that leads me to a sweeping view of Puget Sound. Running and biking in the rain can be refreshing and invigorating, and this has helped me get through Seattle winters.
Favorite travel destination: This past summer my husband, my seven year old son and I did a 10-day camping road trip through central Oregon, spending time in Bend, rafting the Deschutes River, hiking down to Crater Lake, camping along the Umpqua River, and hanging out in Hood River. My favorite day was driving through the Alpine Lakes region southwest of Bend, and paddle-boarding on pristine alpine lakes with snow-capped volcanoes all around us.
Favorite food city: What I look for in a food city is delicious, creative, vegetarian-friendly restaurants that are also affordable. I used to live in San Diego and consider it a paradise of inexpensive but delicious food. I have also had some of my favorite meals in Santa Fe, where many cultures come together and many dishes include pine nuts.
Favorite hobby: I recently started taking pictures with a film camera after a hiatus of about 10 years, and I really love the physicality of using this heavy camera, being thoughtful about each shot because they’re not endless, and the surprise of getting the prints back. On the food side, I love the challenge of coming up with creative ways to use up large amounts of excess produce from our garden or CSA, and I love baking cakes for occasions.
Something most people don’t know about me: I love science fiction, on the screen and on the page. I just rewatched the original Bladerunner at Cinerama in Seattle in preparation for the new one, and I am currently working my way through all of the amazing novels by Ursula Le Guin.