Patricia Francis, RD

When it comes to my career in nutrition, I like to say that it fell in my lap. I had no idea what I wanted to do when going to college, but I had to declare a major. Thankfully, I fell in love with nutrition during my first dietetics class at Clemson University. After graduating with my bachelor's degree in Food Science with a concentration in Nutrition and Dietetics from Clemson in 2015, I went on to complete my dietetic internship through Morrison Healthcare in 2017 in concurrence with obtaining my master's degree in Nutrition and Food Systems Management from the University of Southern Mississippi, which I competed in 2018. 

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I started my dietetics career in a mental health facility but shortly after moved on to inpatient critical care. After a few years in the hospital, I switched my focus to outpatient. I started my own private practice in June of 2021 and shortly after this left the hospital to work in a pediatrician office. Since then I have done a mix of in-person and telehealth outpatient nutrition. During my time in outpatient nutrition, I was lucky enough to obtain my Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) certification and love being able to work with moms and babies during this special time of their lives. 

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While my focus on my private practice waned some during the past few years due to having children and working less hours, it is something that I never lost my passion for. Recently, my desire to build up my practice has increased due to the need I see in the women's health space. I love working with women across the lifespan to help give them guidance on feeling their best. Whether that is teenagers just diagnosed with PCOS all the way to women entering menopause, I have experience gently leading women in understanding what is happening with their bodies and how to foster a healthy relationship with food and their body while achieving the goals they are looking for. I also have a special interest in thyroid health due to family members (and myself) dealing with various thyroid diagnoses. 

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I prefer to approach nutrition from a more holistic and functional medicine viewpoint but recognize there is always a time and place for traditional/Western medicine. If you work with me, I like to become like the best friend dietitian that you never had. While my focus will always be on nutrition and lifestyle changes, I know how important it is to understand you and your schedule, preferences, stressors, etc. in order to provide the best care that I can. 

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When I'm not working, you can typically find me hanging out with my two boys, husband, 3 large dogs, and cat at home. We love to be outside whenever possible and attend as many Clemson sporting events as we can throughout the year. I've recently started making sourdough, so this also takes up much of my time as well as learning and researching how best to take care of my family more naturally!