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Dietetics and Nutrition MS

When David, a third-year exercise science major, heard about the study abroad program offered through RIT Global, he was determined to go and to take his sister with him. In June, the Brassies left for the six-week program at Perrotis College, where they would study the Mediterranean diet and Greek culture.

A growing cohort of RIT students is enrolling in the university’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees program, which provides pathways for highly focused, goal-oriented students to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in a shortened, consolidated experience.

Researchers from RIT and the University of Rochester Medical Center are taking a closer look at nutritional factors during pregnancy and in infancy associated with severe tooth decay in young children.

RIT is offering a new master’s degree in dietetics and nutrition to prepare graduates to become registered dietitian nutritionists with a deep understanding of food as medicine. The two-year graduate program will start in the fall and enrollment is open now.

RIT’s College of Health Sciences and Technology is preparing for significant growth with a new streamlined organizational structure. The move clarifies direct reporting and aligns the college with the university’s model of grouping programs under departments.

Zoraa Victor, a fourth-year student in the dietetics and nutrition BS program in the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, will spend six weeks studying the plant-based Mediterranean diet at Perrotis College in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece.

Brenda Abu, assistant professor in RIT’s Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, seeks to understand the effect pica, iron deficiency anemia, and food insecurity have on maternal health during pregnancy. Pica refers to excessive craving and/or eating of non-food items, such as, clay, soil, paper, ice, and paint chips.

Barbara Lohse, head of RIT’s Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, hopes to reach 10,000 New Yorkers with free resources promoting healthy nutrition and lifestyle tools that have been tested and shown to be effective.

For fourth-year dietetics and nutrition student Abigail Morrissey, sports nutrition is more than academics—it’s about debunking misinformation about food and body size that promotes unhealthy eating habits among young women athletes.

Industrial Design students envisioned solutions for utilizing waste in the apple and dairy industries for the international Biodesign Challenge.

RIT undergraduates Jewel Amrich and Courtney Casteen in the College of Health Sciences and Technology are on the frontline of a national clinical trial focused on preventing the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and stroke through lifestyle management.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 50: Contentious battles are often fought over the dinner table around what and how much a child should eat. RIT researcher Barbara Lohse, head of the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, and colleague Ellyn Satter have rigorously tested and validated a common-sense approach to identify and prevent nutrition risk in children.