Degree
Programs in Medical Nutrition Sciences
The
Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at the Boston University
School of Medicine (GMS), School of Dental Medicine (SDM), and the
School
of Public Health (SPH) have established collaborative, multidisciplinary
MA and PhD programs in Medical Nutrition Sciences. These programs
are offered through the Graduate Division of Medical Sciences (GMS)
and have been designed to meet the requirements and standards of
the
Graduate Division for Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy
training.
The
goal of Program in Medical Nutrition Sciences is to provide multidisciplinary
training in medical nutrition sciences that will prepare students for
a wide variety of relevant career opportunities in four primary areas
including:
•
basic, epidemiological, and clinical nutrition research
•
nutrition and public health promotion at the individual
and population levels
•
nutrition policy and program planning
•
nutrition and health communications.
The
core curriculum for the Program in Medical Nutrition Sciences incorporates
state-of-the-art, advanced training in the following areas of research
and practice:
•
basic and laboratory nutritional sciences and related
research methods and technologies
•
techniques for translating nutritional sciences into
medical nutrition therapies, interventions, products, and services
•
epidemiological, clinical and outcomes research methods used to evaluate
relationships between nutritional
status and health outcomes
•
methods to design and test the efficacy and impact of
medical nutrition therapies and nutritional interventions
•
processes for the formulation and monitoring of nutrition-related
health policies, programs, and campaigns
•
strategies for effective public and professional communications
of nutritional science.
Original
research experiences that result in a Masters thesis or Doctoral dissertation
are required and emphasize one of following areas
of major focus in the proposed programs and the areas in which
there
are existing
and abundant career opportunities in medical nutrition sciences
including: basic or laboratory nutrition research; nutritional
epidemiology; clinical
nutrition research; nutrition and public health promotion;
nutrition policy and program planning; and nutrition and mass
communications.
A
number of major trends underscore the importance of the Program
in Medical
Nutrition Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine. Recent
research on the genetic, environmental, behavioral and social determinants
of human disease has focused attention on the integral role of medical
nutritional sciences in disease epidemiology. Advances in basic nutritional
sciences have identified new mechanisms of biological action of the
essential nutrients and other components of foods. There is increasing
evidence of the efficacy of a wide variety of medical nutrition therapies
for the prevention and treatment of many chronic and infectious diseases
and their complications. The importance of nutrition in individual
and population health throughout the human lifecycle, particularly into
advanced age, is increasingly recognized. New methods in nutritional
epidemiology have expanded research on the relationship between diet,
nutritional status, disease risk and health outcomes. Evidence is
emerging that public health nutrition interventions and health communications
campaigns, consistent with national health policies, are effective in
promoting and improving the Nation’s health and that of vulnerable population
subgroups. Furthermore, there is keen public interest in personal
health promotion and nutrition.
As
a result of these advances, an urgent need exists for scientists,
clinician-scientists,
and public health professionals with expertise in medical nutrition
sciences who can work effectively on multidisciplinary teams in
a wide
variety of settings. Professionals with this training are needed to
conduct basic and clinical research; qualitative and quantitative evaluation
studies of campaigns, programs, products, and services; and nutrition-related
epidemiological investigations in traditional settings, such as academic
medical centers. In addition, research and practice opportunities exist
in a wide variety of other health care settings, the public health infrastructure,
the food, foodservice, and pharma-/nutriceutical industries, and the
print and electronic mass communications health-related fields.
Well-trained
professionals are needed who can interpret and translate nutritional
research into public policy, population-based nutrition guidelines,
clinical nutrition standards, and consumer information. The
availability of graduate level medical nutrition scientists will
facilitate advancements
in the field including the translation of research findings into
policies and programs for the effective prevention and treatment
of human disease,
the development of appropriate and efficacious health-related
products and services, the design of sound nutrition health policies
and programs,
and the delivery of targeted and appropriate nutrition-related
health communications to the public.
