Human Nutrition

Dr. Parul Christian, Director

As part of the Department of International Health, the Human Nutrition Program is committed to improving the health, nutrition, and well-being of the world’s most disadvantaged people. Our mission is to advance population health from the global to local level through teaching, research, and practice that promotes better nutrition, health equity, and thriving communities.  

Our Goals 

The multidisciplinary nature of public health nutrition is reflected in the Human Nutrition Program’s diverse faculty who are committed to generating new knowledge through research and to training future leaders, scholars, and practitioners.  

Our goals are to

• Equip students with the technical knowledge, problem solving, and communication skills to address nutrition-related problems over the life course that face societies today and over the next 20 years;  

• Advance research and knowledge on the role of nutrition in the growth, development, health, and disease of populations; novel tools and methods for assessment of dietary intakes, nutritional status, food environments, function, and health outcomes; the efficacy and effectiveness of promising interventions including through implementation research; and the uptake of research findings into programs and policies;  

• Develop equitable and innovative solutions that address complex interrelated challenges between nutrition, food security, and socioeconomic and environmental systems leading to healthier dietary patterns and reduced disease burden;  

• Build and sustain partnerships with other research institutions, governments, NGOs, U.N. agencies, private sector, and civil society to enable the conduct and translation of research into lasting benefits for communities and populations. 

Center for Human Nutrition: Developing stronger collaborative networks in nutrition research, training, education and advocacy across the University