ANN ARBOR—Citing growing student interest and an increasing national emphasis on nutrition as a key to good health, the University of Michigan Board of Regents has approved a School of Public Health request to establish a new Department of Nutritional Sciences.

Beginning in fall 2015, U-M students will be able to begin work on a Master of Public Health in Nutritional Sciences, Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences, or Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences. The long-term plan for the department is to offer additional undergraduate courses, potentially leading to an undergraduate nutritional sciences degree.

“From the womb to the tomb, food, air and water are the three necessities for human existence. The science of nutrition is of vital importance to the maintenance of health, the prevention of disease and the sustainability of communities and nations,” said SPH Dean Martin Philbert. “The new department will continue to make substantive, scholarly contributions toward the improvement of health.”

In the proposal, SPH leaders noted that over the last several decades scholarship and research in the areas of “obesity, chronic disease risks, food safety and security, global hunger and undernutrition, and the environmental impacts of food production,” have increased dramatically.

So has the need for more professionals in the field, in clinical areas, and in community and global public health settings, as well as in research. SPH leaders cite statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that job growth over the decade that began in 2012 for dietitians and nutritionists will increase 21 percent, compared with an average 11 percent growth for other occupations. Postsecondary educator opportunities in nutrition-related research, teaching and administration will increase 14-19 percent.

The new department will build upon the strength of the school’s current Human Nutrition Program (HNP), part of the SPH Environmental Health Sciences Department (EHS)—and the work of the affiliated research centers: Michigan Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Children’s Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Center and the Momentum Center on childhood obesity.

Evidence of student interest in this area of study is reflected in enrollment in HNP, which nearly tripled from 2008 to 2014, said Karen Peterson, EHS professor and director of the Human Nutrition Program.

Peterson, who was recruited to U-M six years ago to grow the Human Nutrition program, is a major force behind the vision of the new department, SPH leaders say.

With a department dedicated specifically to nutritional sciences—an attractive option for students—Peterson anticipates doubling enrollment over the next four years to about 120 students by the end of 2019.

The department’s growth will require doubling full-time faculty as well, Peterson said, noting that one of the strengths that will set the U-M program apart from many others is the “breadth and depth of the faculty who work in this area, ranging from basic sciences such as epigenetics and metabolomics to population-based research on child obesity and binge eating.”

“We will take advantage of the U-M’s unique and dynamic culture of collaboration and harness our transdisciplinary strengths in basic, clinical and epidemiological nutrition research,” Peterson said.

A number of current U-M faculty also have joint appointments affiliated with nutrition that will allow collaborations between EHS and other departments at SPH.

Through affiliated research centers, students will have expanded opportunities to work with investigators in the Medical School, School of Kinesiology, School of Natural Resources and Environment, LSA Department of Psychology, School of Social Work, Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Institute for Social Research.

“For example, some areas we’ll certainly explore further with those who’ve already begun the work are sustainable food systems and the intersection of physical activity and nutrition,” Peterson said. “It’s an exciting time to be embarking on this journey.

“The opportunities in nutrition research and practice have never been greater, and we truly believe that our students, faculty and the public are going to benefit from the scholarly activities of the new department.”

Related Links:

• School of Public Health: http://www.sph.umich.edu/
• Environmental Health Sciences Human Nutrition: http://www.sph.umich.edu/ehs/nutr/
• Momentum Center: http://momentumcenter.org/
• Nutrition Obesity Research Center: http://mmoc.med.umich.edu
• Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Protection Center: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/dert/programs/prevention/grantees/michigan/index.cfm