Graduate Program in Medical Nutrition Sciences
A Message from
Susan K. Fried, Ph.D.
Director, Program in Medical Nutrition Sciences
Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition
Dear Prospective Student:
Thank you for your interest in study of nutrition at Boston University. Our interdisciplinary Medical Nutrition Sciences Program is based in the Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition. Our outstanding faculty is derived from BUSM’s basic and clinical departments, as well as its Goldman School of Dental Medicine, the School of Public Health and includes faculty from other divisions of our University.
Nutrition is a multidisciplinary field that encompasses all aspects of an organism’s interaction with food. Basic and clinical nutrition researchers seek to understand how nutritional status (under- and over-nutrition, low or high intakes of specific nutrients), affects lifespan and risk for chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis among others. This knowledge is needed to design diets to prevent and treat disease, and to assure optimal growth and health under different environmental conditions. Nutrition scientists also study how nutrient requirements change as a function of disease, and how nutritional interventions and support can provide therapeutic benefit. Clinical nutritionists and practitioners use knowledge derived from basic research to design and test interventions for achieving optimal health and disease prevention at the individual, community and public health levels. Nutritional epidemiologists analyze how specific nutrients and other aspects of diet quality affect health and disease at the population level. The field of nutrigenomics investigates how polymorphisms in genes that regulate nutrient metabolism affect nutrient metabolism and requirements, and hence disease risk. Recent technological advances make it possible to study how diet-gene interactions and epigenetic alterations affect the capacity to utilize specific nutrients, from dietary fat and carbohydrate to micronutrients such as folate and calcium. Analysis of how the human microbiome affects nutritional status represents yet another exciting new area of nutrition research. I encourage you to follow the links of this website to appreciate the breadth and depth of nutrition-related research at BU.
Graduate work in nutrition allows you to apply your knowledge of physiology, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology and genetics, as well as sociology, anthropology, health promotion, and exercise sciences to questions that are important for human health. The integrative nature of nutrition science provides a superb background for professional studies in medicine and dentistry, as well as research careers in academia and industry. It also provides a solid foundation for nutrition practice in clinical care or community settings. The recent emergence of the nutriceutical industries provides additional opportunities for masters and doctoral level nutrition scientists.
Our graduate program is designed to provide you with flexible and critical thinking skills that will allow you to keep pace with the rapidly moving field of nutrition. Also, by learning the languages of both basic and applied nutrition, you will be able to interact easily with collaborators and co-workers with expertise in other fields of medical sciences.
In addition to our Nutrition Core curriculum, we encourage you to take full advantage of the myriad course offerings at BU that will provide you with the expertise needed to address nutrition-related research questions. These courses will be chosen in consultation with your advisor.
Students are encouraged to experience research and select a dissertation advisor through rotations (2-3) in a lab, clinical, and/or public health settings early in their graduate career. Students then select a project for their masters or doctoral dissertation under the guidance of one of our faculty. We aim for a graduation in 1 year of full time study for the M.A., and 5 years for the Ph.D. (starting without a masters).
I have only recently become director of this graduate program, so please stay tuned to this web site for new developments and a listing a faculty and new courses.
I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have about graduate study in nutritional sciences at BU. I look forward to talking with you.
We are also holding an Open House Information Session in October 21st and 29th. If you’d like to attend please follow the link below.
OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION SESSION – OCTOBER 21ST and 29TH
Sincerely yours,
Susan K. Fried, Ph.D.
Director, Program in Medical Nutrition Sciences
Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition
