Many patients, even the most compliant, may make poor decisions when it comes to their diet or compliance with their medications. Each month, Jean reviews patients’ labs—and when levels are off, she encourages them to make the right choices—and praises them when they do. Patients whose levels are in balance receive the much-wanted “Cho seal of approval”: a gold smiley face placed on their report.

“Some of the patients call me the food cop,” says Jean. “But I don’t mind because I only have their well-being at heart—and I think they know that.”

As an educator, Jean explains the importance of eating healthy, understanding creatinine levels, balancing fluid intake, managing phosphorus levels, keeping calcium levels in the right range, treating anemia, eating enough protein, managing cholesterol, and the high risk and prevalence of CVD in people on dialysis.

To reinforce learning, she has her “nutrition cart,” which holds Jean’s literature and models of “good” and “bad” foods. Every few weeks she also holds contests on nutrition; she awards winners with healthy snacks.

Jean, 32, became a renal dietitian for one very important reason: she suffers from polycystic kidney disease; she knows that one day she may be on dialysis.

Jean is a newlywed. She and her husband, Ben Cho, who is a physical therapist,have been married for only six months and are trying to start a family.

Meet the rest of the characters of Hope Street.