Nutrition Science & Dietetics News
Food, family, culture focus of new study abroad offering in India
A new SU Abroad summer offering brought Falk College students to points of significance in northern and western India, including New Delhi, Agra—home of the Taj Mahal—and Baroda to immerse themselves in the culture, food and healthcare systems of South Asia.
Created by associate professor of nutrition, Sudha Raj, and associate professor of child and family studies, Kamala Ramadoss, the course incorporated online instruction on community-based projects and traditional food and healthcare systems prior to the group’s May 31 departure.
Upon arrival to India, students visited schools, community program sites, such as a school for children with special needs and a senior citizens’ center, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and traditional and modern healthcare facilities. Other highlights included visits to an ayurvedic center, a working dairy farm, and homeopathy hospital.
It was when they were working together on a project a few years ago that professors Raj and Ramadoss realized they graduated from Madras University in India, both with bachelor of science degrees in nutrition and dietetics seven years apart. Raj went on to complete her Ph.D. in nutrition science at Syracuse University and Ramadoss pursued degrees in child development and family studies at the University of Madres, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and Purdue University before coming to Syracuse University. The combination of their expertise in food, nutrition, and family development presented a winwin situation for Falk students with this new offering in India. “Understanding food in a family context was something our students in nutrition and child and studies could benefit from,” says Raj. And so the new course started to take shape.
The course will help students understand the diversity of families in a multilingual, multi-faith Indian society given the wider global forces influencing Indian society. They will get an up-close view of the food and health systems in India given the impact of globalization on Indian socio-political, cultural and commercial life. Their exploration will have them analyze and evaluate the interrelationships among families (including food systems and health care), governmental policies and community programs.
Falk College senior Robert Swanda named 2016 Syracuse University Scholar
Robert Swanda, a double major in nutrition science in Falk College and biology in The College of Arts and Sciences was named a 2016 Syracuse University Scholar, the highest undergraduate academic honor that the university bestows. University Scholars represent the Class of 2016 at the May 15 Commencement ceremony and are selected through a competitive process that evaluates course work and academic achievement, creative work, and how a student has taken his or her knowledge and experience out of the classroom and engaged the world.
“Robert is a curious and dedicated learner, an effective leader with a caring attitude and strong work ethic committed to making Syracuse University and the surrounding community a better place to live,” says Falk College Dean Diane Lyden Murphy. Upon graduation in May, he will move into a Ph.D. program at Cornell University in biomedical science and physiology. As an undergraduate, he has been immersed in several very different and rigorous research projects, with the goal of continuing an aspect of this research at the graduate level. In the Renee Crown Honors Program, he has completed three separate honors thesis projects investigating biochemical enzyme temperature regulation, obesity prevention, and the disruption of endocrine and neurobiological mechanisms.
“My three research projects throughout my time as an undergraduate have allowed me to explore scientific questions by using proteomic techniques to understand enzyme kinetics, auditing tools to understand obesity related to environmental influence, and gas chromatography mass spectrophotometry and blood sampling to examine environmental influence over rapid evolutionary changes in metabolism. During my time at Syracuse University, my independent research experiences have solidified my ambition to run a research lab of my own at an academic institution or in industry to bring scientific breakthroughs to my community,” says Swanda.
Falk College has a reputation for having the academic programs that specifically prepare students for making the world a better place. While service learning is embedded in all Falk undergraduate programs, many students embrace these opportunities outside of the classroom. Robert saw the need in the Syracuse community for instilling skills and values beyond critical thinking when he got involved with the Smart Mentoring Program through the Office of Engagement Programs his freshman year.
“As I worked with students ages 10-14, I began to notice a large gap in their understanding around critical issues such as race, religion, and interpersonal conflict. To help them, Fareya Zubair (ESF ’16) and I took a scientific approach, and read psychology journals on the development of empathy. This work later evolved into Empathy Matters, an eight-week mentoring program Fareya and I cofounded for students ages 7-8 to develop their compassion, leadership, and confidence skills, while tying all lessons back to empathy,” says Swanda. Robert’s vision includes expanding the Empathy Matters program beyond Syracuse.
“Rob has a unique vision for his future: to use his background in ecology, physiology, and nutrition to work on large-scale social and ecosystem-based health problems. His transdisciplinary training at SU and his aspirations have put him at the forefront of an emerging field that seeks to integrate public and ecosystem health,” says Margaret Voss, professor of practice, nutrition, who is Swanda’s academic advisor and research project supervisor. “I am truly honored to have been part of his professional journey and I look forward to seeing where his talent takes him in the future.”
Falk College sponsors purposeful plant-based eating for cancer survivors cooking demonstration
The benefits of plant-based eating for cancer survivors, and easy steps patients and their families can take to eat healthy, is the focus of a special cooking demonstration offered by nutrition science and dietetics students at Syracuse University. Falk College, in collaboration with the Upstate University Cancer Center’s certified specialist in oncology nutrition, presents “Purposeful Plant-based Eating for Cancer Survivors and Cancer Risk Reduction: A Recipe Demonstration and Tasting,” Wednesday, March 9, 6:00 p.m., Nutrition ACE Center, 204 Falk College. The program was developed in Falk College’s Food Demonstrations: A-Z course, taught by Professor Tanya Horacek, that helps students develop nutrition education skills for working with a variety of audiences. The event, which is intended for cancer survivors, patients and their family members and those who are interested in cancer prevention, is free and open to the public.
Attendees will watch recipes being made and taste four to five different plant-based recipes. Research indicates that maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active throughout life, and consuming a healthy diet can substantially reduce a person’s lifetime risk of developing cancer. Says Horacek, “whether you are trying to prevent cancer or you are a survivor, food can be medicine. By combining various plant-based foods you can extract the beneficial effects of the nutrients and phytonutrients.” For cancer survivors, the recipes are tailored for the typical side effects that might be experienced.
In September 2015, Falk College opened its Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center, a new hands-on learning laboratory to prepare students with traditional and emerging professional competencies critical to effective nutrition practice. The purposefully outfitted demonstration kitchen supports Falk College’s new integrative nutrition curriculum, which uses food as medicine to support disease treatment.
“Syracuse University, thanks to support from our generous donor, Rhoda Dearman Morrisroe, has created a center that both simulates the types of professional settings where its graduates will work while providing on-going, unique learning opportunities that give students a competitive advantage. This dedicated space provides an ideal environment for educational community partnerships that benefit students and our local neighbors,” says Falk College dean, Diane Lyden Murphy.
How light and sound impact human health
Margaret Voss, professor of practice, nutrition, published, “A framework to assess evolutionary responses to anthropogenic light and sound” in Trends in Ecology & Evolution (July 2015). “When we speak of evolutionary changes, we are really talking about patterns of gene flow and gene expression. Anything that changes mortality rates (e.g., disease, predation, etc.) and birth rates has the potential to change patterns of gene flow. This in turn changes the way living populations’ function, including where they thrive,” says Voss. Human-induced disturbance, such as light and noise, have long been ignored as factors that could alter the genetic structure of animal populations.
Over the years, Voss has examined both factors and documented how they change the individual health of wild animals. Her research currently looks at how light at night alters daily circadian rhythms. “Evidence is mounting that changes to our daily circadian cycle underlies many diseases of inflammation (e.g, high blood pressure, diabetes, altered fat storage patterns),” she notes. “This paper is the first time a group of scientists have complied recently peer-reviewed evidence that shows that circadian disruption (noise and light disturbance) can change the structure of animal populations in a measurable way.”
The paper was meant to be a framework to help researchers structure their future work to obtain clear and solid evidence of this trend and its implications for human biology. Financial support from the National Science Foundation’s National Evolutionary Synthesis Center funded this work, and the collaborative work of the One Health Initiative influenced its focus and exploration.
Professor Voss teaches courses in nutritional biochemistry and metabolism in the Department of Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition. She received her Ph.D. from Syracuse University for doctoral work in comparative physiology (foraging behavior, energetics, and reproductive physiology). Her teaching expertise is in physiology-related courses for pre-health professions students, including classes in exercise physiology and medical terminology.
Syracuse University’s Falk College Highlights Graduate Studies at November 6 Information Session
Faculty, staff, students available to talk about programs, coursework, student life
Syracuse University faculty, staff and current students will welcome potential graduate students interested in the Falk College’s graduate programs in child and family studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, social work and sport management during a special Fall Information Session for graduate studies on Friday, November 6. The presentation begins at 4:00 p.m. at Falk College, Room 200.
Detailed information will be provided on graduate programs in addiction studies, child and family studies (M.A., M.S., Ph.D.), food studies (M.S.), global health (M.S.), marriage and family therapy (M.A.), social work (M.S.W.) as well as the dual degree program (M.A./M.S.W.) in marriage and family therapy and social work, nutrition science (M.A., M.S.), and sport venue and event management (M.S.). Details on our Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) program in trauma-informed practice will be available along with information on other Falk College CAS programs in, dietetic internship, and global health.
Falk College Hosts Inaugural Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series
Lecture offers Continuing Education Credit for social work, dietetics professionals
“Food and Fear: How Therapists and Dietitians Collaborate in Understanding and Treating Eating Disorders” is the featured topic for the Inaugural Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series to be held Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m., Grant Auditorium. Sandra Pinney, RDN, and Laura K. Ratner, LICSW, LCSW-C, BCD, will address the difference between normal and problematic eating, and the importance of a collaborative relationship between dietitians and therapists in eating disorder recovery.
The purposeful pairing of perspectives from a mental health professional and registered dietitian nutritionist for this inaugural lecture is based on an approach Falk College nutrition alumna, Ann Selkowitz Litt ’75 practiced throughout her career. For many years, she and Ratner were partners in private practice. Litt was a nationally known nutritionist who helped children and adolescents with eating disorders and assisted developing athletes in reaching their full potential. The nutrition consultant to CosmoGirl magazine, Litt was the author of The College Students’ Guide to Eating Well on Campus, Fuel for Young Athletes, and the ADA Guide to Private Practice. She was the nutritionist for the NFL’s Washington Redskins and served as spokesperson for several media campaigns during her career, including the Got Milk campaign. After her death in 2007, the Ann. S. Litt Foundation, Inc. was created to support nutrition education.
Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. Eating disorders are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for females and males. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. The rate of development of new cases of eating disorders has been increasing since 1950.
“The inaugural lecture held as part of the Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series will explore what’s normal and what’s not in the realm of both eating and how one thinks and feels about eating and their body. Our speakers will talk about the importance of collaboration between therapists and nutritionists as they work together to both understand and treat people with eating disorders, which was a philosophy Ann embraced throughout her career,” says Dr. Tanya Horacek, R.D., Ph.D., professor of nutrition and undergraduate director of Falk College’s nutrition program.
Laura K. Ratner is a psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders utilizing family-based psychotherapy as well as evidence-based individual approaches, working with children/adolescents and adults, individuals, couples and families. She provides clinical supervision to other mental health professionals, has taught at the George Washington Medical School, and has served on the Research- Practice Committee of the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Sandra Pinney specializes in treating eating disorders and weight management in adolescents and young adults. She worked with a team that developed the first comprehensive, inpatient eating disorders unit in New York City. She is a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians.
The lecture has been approved for continuing education credit for social work and dietetics.
NSD 452/652: Mediterranean Food and Culture: an Italian Experience (3 credits)
Taught in Syracuse during the Spring 2016 semester and in Italy, May 24-June 7, 2016
This course will provide you with an opportunity to experience one of the most renowned cuisines in the world. What is the Mediterranean diet and why do people eat this way? How many ways can we really define the Mediterranean diet, based upon regional and cultural differences? We will investigate the historic, geographic, and socio-economic underpinnings of the Mediterranean diet. We will critique the health benefits and implications of following a Mediterranean diet. We will discuss the current dietary habits of people surrounding the Mediterranean to determine just how closely the Mediterranean diet is being followed. Once in Italy, we will experience the current Mediterranean diet from farm to table by exploring small artisan producers for cheese, olive oil and pasta. We explore the significance of local/regional production not only from a food system but also from a legislative and labeling perspective. We will work in the fields, shop for the freshest ingredients and cook authentic Italian meals.
This course is open to any SU student who has interest in the interaction between Mediterranean foods, wine, health and culture. For NSD majors or minors, this course can be taken as an alternative to the required NSD 555: Food, Culture and Environment Class offered on campus.
Class size is limited to 16 students. Any graduate student or advanced undergraduate student is eligible to apply. Students who enroll in this course must participate in both the Syracuse and Italy portion of the program. This is not an introductory course; taking NSD 225, Nutrition in Health, or equivalent course first is suggested. The Tuscany/Florence portion of the class requires a lot of walking and vineyard field work.
Tenative Itinerary 2016
Tuesday, May 24th Travel to Pisa, Italy, on recommended flight or on your own.
Wednesday, May 25th Arrive in Pisa to meet group. Spend one night in Pisa.
Thursday, May 26th Travel to agriturismo in Maremma. Olive Press visit and tasting.
Friday, May 27th Visit to LaSelva organic farm, Visit to the town of Pitigliano.
Saturday, May 28th Bike ride to Maremma Regional Natural park/beach. Travel to agriturismo La Ginestra.
Sunday, May 29th Stay at La Ginestra, work (bee care). All meals provided.
Monday, May 30th Stay at La Ginestra, work (vineyard).
Tuesday, May 31st Cook lunch as group with Jacopo. Visit to biodynamic sustainable garden
Faculty
Tanya Horacek, Ph.D., R.D. Dr. Horacek is a Professor in the department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition. She teaches upper level/graduate applied dietetics classes (nutrition counseling). Her current research involves the development and validation of a healthy campus environmental audit and randomized treatment control trials using a non-diet approach to weight management. She has a variety of other research projects include eating competence, green eating, participatory program planning, and the effectiveness of lifestyles-oriented nutrition counseling/education. She is passionate about helping students fit a study abroad experience into their program of study. She has broadened her area of study/teaching to include sustainability and a global cultural experience via the Mediterranean Food Culture class. She spent fall 2009 semester living and teaching in Florence and continues to study Italian.
Costs
Students register for this 3-credit class during the spring semester. This means that SU undergraduates pay no additional tuition charge for the overseas program, as long as they have not exceeded the 19-credit limit for the semester. Graduate students pay the per-credit tuition charge for this three credit class. The fee for the travel portion of the course is approximately $2000-2200 and includes housing, some group meals, ground transportation, and entrance fees. It also includes all activities and services for which a separate fee is not charged. The final fee will be set once expenses have been confirmed. Please note: The fee does not include airfare. Students should budget between $1100-1300 for roundtrip airfare from the US to Italy. SU Abroad will provide information on a recommended flight after students have been accepted.
Application, Selection, and Payment Procedures
A completed online application and a $70 non-refundable application fee are due to SU Abroad by October 9, 2015. An admissions committee made up of Professor Horacek and an SU Abroad representative will review all applications. Students will be notified of their acceptance shortly after the due date. Upon acceptance, a $550 non-refundable deposit is required to confirm your participation in the program. The full program fee will be posted to accepted students’ bursar accounts on December 15th, 2015 and billed alongside Spring 2016 semester charges.
For more information, please contact Cara Hardy: 443-9417 or crhardy@syr.edu.
Falk College celebrates new Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center with reception, tours September 25
Falk College today announced the opening of the Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center, a new hands-on learning laboratory to prepare students with traditional and emerging professional competencies critical to effective nutrition practice. A ribbon cutting ceremony, tours and a reception will take place Friday, September 25 at 11:00 a.m., 202 MacNaughton Hall, in the Falk Complex.
A generous and visionary gift from Falk College alumna, Rhoda Dearman Morrisroe ‘69, made the ACE Center possible. It includes two lecture halls, one with a demonstration kitchen and one with a teaching station; two small private consultation rooms; a physical assessment room, and; a small conference room with a large media screen. “The counseling rooms will allow our students to practice their nutrition consultation skills in an appropriate environment. A purposefully outfitted demonstration kitchen supports our new integrative nutrition curriculum, which uses food as medicine to support disease treatment. I am very excited about the new center, and what this will mean for the future of our nutrition programs,” says Kay Stearns Bruening, associate professor of nutrition, Falk College.
The Center’s counseling and physical assessment rooms are equipped with two teaching mannequins, a tube feeding placement simulator, wall-mounted stadiometers and electronic scales, pediatric measuring equipment with several multi-ethnic infant mannequins, electronic blood pressure monitors, a lactation education baby, and a variety of new food models. “This facility allows our faculty to develop high-fidelity simulations for medical nutrition therapy, life cycle nutrition, nutrition education, nutrition counseling, and other curricular enhancements,” adds Bruening.
“Syracuse University, thanks to support from our generous donor, Rhoda Dearman Morrisroe, has created a center that both simulates the types of professional settings where its graduates will work while providing on-going, unique learning opportunities that give students a competitive advantage. In addition to unlimited faculty-supervised hands-on experiences, this dedicated space will provide an ideal environment for student-faculty research projects and educational community partnerships that set the SU programs apart,” says Falk College dean, Diane Lyden Murphy.
In the ACE Center, students will practice nutrition-focused physical examinations on a new patient simulator. The new facilities will allow for unlimited opportunities for direct practice with indirect calorimetry to measure how many calories someone is utilizing, instead of estimations that use imperfect mathematical equations. Additional enhancements to student learning include class experiences measuring body composition with the BOD POD® testing system used extensively in university and medical facilities, the military and health and wellness settings to track body composition.
In the afternoon, students and invited guests will meet Amanda Archibald, founder and owner, Field to Plate®, who will present a lecture and cooking demonstration entitled, “Food as Medicine.” Field to Plate creates dynamic food and culinary education experiences and innovative tools. Amanda’s work in culinary genomics was debuted at the Institute for Functional Medicine international conference in May 2015.
For more information about the September 25 ribbon cutting and tours, please contact Falk College at (315) 443-9816.
Dietetic interns visit local farm
Dietetic interns visit local farm
Earlier this semester, dietetic internship director, Deb Connolly, took the dietetic interns (CAS program) to a local beef farm, as she has for the past couple of years, with Cindy Chan Phillips, an alumna of the Nutrition program who is the nutrition consultant for the NY Beef Council.
Food as Medicine
Food as Medicine
As part of the day-long celebration commemorating the Falk College’s Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center, Amanda Archibald, owner of Field-to-Plate will use the Center’s new demo kitchen to lead the presentation “Food as Medicine.” The new ACE Center is made possible by a generous gift from Falk almuna Rhoda Dearman Morrisroe ’69. The presentation will take place Friday, September 25 at 1:45-3:00pm, 204 MacNaughton Hall, in the Falk Complex.
Amanda Archibald’s contribution to food and nutrition is channeled through her nationally acclaimed company, Field to Plate®. This visionary company creates dynamic food and culinary education experiences and innovative tools for Americans, and the experts who teach Americans about food. Amanda’s unique training as an analyst and a nutritionist (RD), combined with her culinary expertise, has enabled her to develop a new lens through which we can understand the food and health conversation.
Amanda’s trailblazing work is redefining the food, nutrition and cooking education footprint in ways that are understandable, meaningful and fundamentally achievable for all Americans. Her work in mind‐mapping using visual technology is literally changing how we translate the science of nutrition, via the tools of the kitchen, to put health‐supportive food on America’s plate.
Amanda has been involved in lecturing, teaching and producing state of the art experiential food and nutrition learning experiences for consumers and health professionals alike since 2003. Her work has been showcased in more than 30 states and over 100 cities across the nation, and includes codeveloping and producing the acclaimed 2010 Food Solutions Series at Urban Zen in New York and 2015 Culinary Rx in Boulder, CO. She has also produced four international food policy focused events in France and Greece.
Amanda continues to push the edge by merging cutting edge science with the culinary arts. Her work in “culinary genomics” was debuted at the Institute for Functional Medicine international conference in May 2015. This has led to the formation of a new company with three other partners dedicated to blending Genomic Medicine, Functional Nutrition and the Culinary Arts.
Amanda is a member of Les Dames d’ Escoffier and sits on the National Advisory Council for Cooking Matters. She resides in Boulder, CO where the Rocky Mountains are her hiking, biking and skiing playground.
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