Nutrition Science & Dietetics News
Supporting a Classmate and Friend Relay for Life: April 14, 2012
Date: April 14, 2012
Time: 6:00 pm – 6:00 am
Location: Carrier Dome
Recently, dietetics senior Victoria ‘Tori’ Li was diagnosed with a high-grade sarcoma, which is a soft tissue malignancy, and has started treatments. Tori is a very good student in the Falk College and a wonderful citizen of the programs in nutrition science and dietetics. She has served for two years as the nutrition student liaison with the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public/Community service.
With the SU Relay for Life coming up at the Carrier Dome on April 14th, a group of Tori’s friends, under the leadership of junior nutrition science and dietetics student Marissa Donovan, and Whitman student Eddie Zaremba, have started a relay team in her honor. Any questions regarding the group can be sent to team captains: Eddie Zaremba and Marissa Donovan.
A Letter from Marissa Donovan:
Hello everyone,
I am sure many of you have heard that our friend and classmate, Victoria Li, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Victoria is a close friend of many of you, including myself, and right now she needs support from all of us. For this reason, a team has been created in her honor, Team Tor, for Relay For Life at the Carrier Dome this year. Relay for Life takes place from 6PM to 6AM on Saturday April 14th. Please consider joining the team and/or making a donation to the American Cancer Society on behalf of our friend Tori.
At the event, our team will camp out overnight and take turns walking around the track to raise money and awareness to help the American Cancer Society. We invite any of you to stop by for any amount of time and show your support, it is not necessary to stay for the entire time.
Please see the link above to make a donation, join the team, or spread the word. I think this event is an amazing way for us to all ban together and show Tori our support for her as well as our support towards the fight against cancer.
Victoria Li is an amazing individual who has shown her selfless actions time and time again. Please consider joining this team to show your support, and spread the word.
Thank you all.
Best,
Marissa Donovan
Graduate Studies Featured at November 5 Information Session
Falk College faculty and current students welcomed potential graduate students interested in long-standing graduate programs in child and family studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science and dietetics, and social work during a special Fall Information Session for graduate studies on Saturday, November 5 in Shemin Auditorium, Shaffer Art Building.
Detailed information was provided on the College’s newest 36-hour graduate program: the M.S. in Global Health. Admissions was available at the information session to meet with students and provide information on academic programs, scholarships and housing.
Cynthia Sass, SU alum, nutrition health expert, presents “Stop Counting, Start Living” March 3 at Syracuse University
Syracuse University alumna Cynthia Sass, one of the most well known and respected registered dietitians in the country, will present, “Stop Counting, Start Living,” on March 3 at 7:00 p.m., Heroy Auditorium, on the SU campus. This informative discussion, which is free and open to the public, will explore issues around body image in America, how it relates to nourishing the body and the mind, and how individuals may improve their body images as well as transform their relationships with food.
“In my experience, the emphasis on simply counting calories in other weight loss plans has led people to overlook the quality of those calories, which I believe is critical for both nutritional status and optimal health for students and anyone,” notes Sass. Her lecture will highlight the merits of creating an eating plan that does not require counting calories, points or grams, which she says is cumbersome, and can become obsessive and difficult to continue long-term.
The event, which is sponsored by the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association (N.E.P.A.), the Joan Christy Food and Culture Program, and the College of David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, will include a book signing of Sass’ newest book, “Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches,” which debuted at #3 on the New York Times’ Best Seller List shortly after its release earlier this year. The Syracuse University Bookstore will have copies of Cinch! available for purchase that evening.
“Cinch is like a mini nutrition class, emotional eating and exercise workshop and cooking class all in one. My goal in writing it was to help readers better understand nutrition, how their bodies work, overcome emotional eating, fall in love with being active and to offer a simple, doable strategy that lays out what to eat, why, how much and when” explains Sass. “Within four days of its release, it was #1 in all books on amazon.com .I think it has resonated with people because it’s a simple strategy that clears up the clutter and makes eating healthy easy,” notes Sass.
A three-time New York Times best-selling author and columnist based in New York City, Sass is an often-invited guest and expert resource on shows and networks that include The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Rachel Ray Show, The Dr. Oz. Show, The Biggest Loser, Nightline, CNN, ABC World News Tonight, Fox News Live, NPR, and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. She is now an ABC News contributor and Good Morning America Health’s ‘Food Coach.’
“NEPA members thought it would be beneficial to learn about healthy eating without focusing on being ‘skinny.’ A lot of people think that eating healthy is important to lose weight, but it is important for many other reasons,” says Marissa Donovan, fundraising chair, NEPA.
N.E.P.A is a student-run organization in the Falk College Nutrition Science and Dietetics Program that actively promotes health and wellness on campus and in the community through education and activities that involve nutrition awareness. The organization is active in many local service projects and is currently working with local soup kitchens, and community organizations.
Sass is the co-author of “Flat Belly Diet!” and “The Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook” and authored, “Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy: When Food Conflicts Get in the Way of Your Love Life.” The former nutrition director and Grocery Guru columnist at Prevention magazine, she is a contributing editor, blogger and columnist for Shape magazine. Sass is one of the first registered dietitians to become Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and is the sports nutritionist for the New York Rangers NHL team and the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team and served as the nutrition consultant to the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007-2009. She also serves as the Food Coach columnist for Remedy magazine, sports nutrition columnist for Tennis magazine, and a contributing editor, columnist and the sole nutritionist for Athletes Quarterly. She serves on the advisory boards of Whole Living, Taste of Home and Healthy Cooking magazines. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan where she counsels a wide range of people, from professional athletes, models and CEOs to new moms, teens and couples.
Cynthia graduated with highest honors from Syracuse University where she earned both a bachelor degree and a master in nutrition science (MA). She completed a second master in public health (MPH) at the University of South Florida, with an emphasis in community and family health education.
Nutrition Faculty Co-Authors
Tanya Horacek, associate professor, Department of Nutrition Science and Dietetics publishedIdentifying Clusters of College Students at Elevated Health Risk Based on Eating and Exercise Behaviors and Psychosocial Determinants of Body Weight in the March issue of Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Horacek’s research, conducted with colleagues at eight universities in the United States, addresses health concerns pertaining to weight gain and an increase in overweight and obesity rates in college students. The research found that to effectively promote health for college students, it is important to identify subgroups of individuals who are similar to each other – tailoring health messages accordingly.
The research was conducted as a part of Project Web Health, a grant funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. Project WebHealth, the eight state research project was used to evaluate the effectiveness of an online, semi-interactive nutrition and fitness course aimed at improving dietary habits, physical fitness, and preventing weight gain.
Cynthia Sass, SU alum, nutrition health expert, presents “Stop Counting, Start Living” March 3 at Syracuse University
Syracuse University alumna Cynthia Sass, one of the most well known and respected registered dietitians in the country, will present, “Stop Counting, Start Living,” on March 3 at 7:00 p.m., Heroy Auditorium, on the SU campus. This informative discussion, which is free and open to the public, will explore issues around body image in America, how it relates to nourishing the body and the mind, and how individuals may improve their body images as well as transform their relationships with food.
“In my experience, the emphasis on simply counting calories in other weight loss plans has led people to overlook the quality of those calories, which I believe is critical for both nutritional status and optimal health for students and anyone,” notes Sass. Her lecture will highlight the merits of creating an eating plan that does not require counting calories, points or grams, which she says is cumbersome, and can become obsessive and difficult to continue long-term.
The event, which is sponsored by the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association (N.E.P.A.), the Joan Christy Food and Culture Program, and the College of David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, will include a book signing of Sass’ newest book, “Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches,” which debuted at #3 on the New York Times’ Best Seller List shortly after its release earlier this year. The Syracuse University Bookstore will have copies of Cinch! available for purchase that evening.
“Cinch is like a mini nutrition class, emotional eating and exercise workshop and cooking class all in one. My goal in writing it was to help readers better understand nutrition, how their bodies work, overcome emotional eating, fall in love with being active and to offer a simple, doable strategy that lays out what to eat, why, how much and when” explains Sass. “Within four days of its release, it was #1 in all books on amazon.com .I think it has resonated with people because it’s a simple strategy that clears up the clutter and makes eating healthy easy,” notes Sass.
A three-time New York Times best-selling author and columnist based in New York City, Sass is an often-invited guest and expert resource on shows and networks that include The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Rachel Ray Show, The Dr. Oz. Show, The Biggest Loser, Nightline, CNN, ABC World News Tonight, Fox News Live, NPR, and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. She is now an ABC News contributor and Good Morning America Health’s ‘Food Coach.’
“NEPA members thought it would be beneficial to learn about healthy eating without focusing on being ‘skinny.’ A lot of people think that eating healthy is important to lose weight, but it is important for many other reasons,” says Marissa Donovan, fundraising chair, NEPA.
N.E.P.A is a student-run organization in the Falk College Nutrition Science and Dietetics Program that actively promotes health and wellness on campus and in the community through education and activities that involve nutrition awareness. The organization is active in many local service projects and is currently working with local soup kitchens, and community organizations.
Sass is the co-author of “Flat Belly Diet!” and “The Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook” and authored, “Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy: When Food Conflicts Get in the Way of Your Love Life.” The former nutrition director and Grocery Guru columnist at Prevention magazine, she is a contributing editor, blogger and columnist for Shape magazine. Sass is one of the first registered dietitians to become Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and is the sports nutritionist for the New York Rangers NHL team and the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team and served as the nutrition consultant to the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007-2009. She also serves as the Food Coach columnist for Remedy magazine, sports nutrition columnist for Tennis magazine, and a contributing editor, columnist and the sole nutritionist for Athletes Quarterly. She serves on the advisory boards of Whole Living, Taste of Home and Healthy Cooking magazines. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan where she counsels a wide range of people, from professional athletes, models and CEOs to new moms, teens and couples.
Cynthia graduated with highest honors from Syracuse University where she earned both a bachelor and a master in nutrition science (MA). She completed a second master in public health (MPH) at the University of South Florida, with an emphasis in community and family health education.
NSD faculty, students, alums present at FNCE
At the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) Food and Nutrition Conference (Boston, MA, Nov. 6-9), several presentations took place featuring the research and scholarly work of faculty, students and alumni from the Department of Nutrition Science and Dietetics. A poster presentation entitled, “Leadership, Mentoring and Retirement Intentions Among Dietitians in Central New York,” assessed the beliefs and attitudes of Central New York registered dietitians (RDs) on the topics of succession, leadership and mentoring. It also described the retirement intentions and leadership and mentoring needs among RDs employed in Central New York.
This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted by graduate nutrition students and their faculty member as part of a graduate research methods course. Study variables included: demographic information, current area of practice, beliefs about future employment trends, retirement intentions and attitudes regarding leadership and mentoring. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained prior to data collection. Two hundred forty-two RDs were invited to participate in the electronic survey and complete data were obtained for 121 participants (response rate 50%). Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analyses were performed using SPSS software. Half of RDs were over 46 years old and a majority (77%) had completed some graduate coursework or beyond. Retirement intentions show that most RDs (59%) plan on retiring in more than 15 years, with 6.8% planning on retiring within the next 5 years. While 82% of RDs agreed that mentoring future leaders is important, 56% agreed (and 13% strongly agreed) that RDs in management/ leadership positions are mentoring upcoming dietitians to be future leaders. Overall, since many RDs plan on staying in practice for at least the next fifteen years an opportunity exists for current RDs to adequately mentor future RDs towards leadership/ management roles.
The poster presentation summarized research findings that examined how many RDs were planning to retire in the near future and whether newer RDs are being mentored into management and leadership positions adequately to ensure a solid foundation for future practice. A majority of the RDs agreed or strongly agreed that mentoring was important and most in management-level positions reported that they are mentoring RDs to take on management/leadership roles.
L-R: Qianzhi Jiang (grad student), Collette Powers (former grad student/current dietetic intern), Lynn Brann, assistant profesor, Kathryn DeIeso-Szklany (grad student), Sarah Formoza (former grad student/current dietetic intern), Cindy Chan Phillips (grad student), Debra Connolly (dietetic internship director). Others who participated but were not at the conference: Laura Stuart (former grad student) and Chaya Charles (grad student/dietitian).
Other presentations at FNCE included:
- Associate professor Tanya Horacek was the lead author on the following presentations: (1) Participatory research with college students identifies quality of life and stress as key issues for obesity prevention” (Note: this article was also co-authored by assistant professor of Health and Wellness, Dessa Bergen-Cico). (2) Obesity prevention: An assessment & comparison of 14 campuses’ walkability and bike-ability.”
Horacek co-authored the following presentations (those marked with * were led by partners on the Healthy Campus Project):
“Process evaluation of Project Web Health: Behavior change intervention for obesity prevention in young adults,” (Note: Syracuse University alumna, Colleen Boyle Dour, MS, was the lead author.)
“Assessment of the food and eating environment on college campuses using a modified version of the nutrition environment measures survey for restaurants (nems-r)” (Note: Syracuse University alumna, Maria Erdman, MS, RD, was the lead author.)
“Use of a geographic information system to determine environmental support for healthful living on a northeastern university campus.”*
“Use of a multi-phase community assessment model to identify behavioral and environmental influences of obesity for young adults.”*
“University food environment: An assessment of the nutrient-density of vending machine foods.”*
“Vending machines impact on discretionary calorie consumption.”*
- Instructor Sudha Raj presented, “Setting the stage for change: bridge the gap and open your mind – cross cultural coaching culture symposium.”
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