Join us as we celebrate another great semester in Nutrition!

We're coming together to celebrate another great academic year in the Department of Nutrition! Join us for food and giveaways as we honor our graduates and scholarship/award winners. Friends and family are welcome!

RSVP at tx.ag/NUTRCelebration. 

Department of Nutrition faculty receive gold service pins

Our amazing faculty members in the Department of Nutrition dedicate their careers to research, outreach and education. We recently recognized a few for reaching significant milestones in their years of service. Thank you for all that you do!

Chinanu Gubor earns Best Poster Presentation Award

Congratulations to doctoral student Chinanu Gubor, a member in the lab of Hyunjung “Grace” Lee, Ph.D., for winning the Best Poster Presentation Award at the inaugural Empowering Change: African Voices in STEAM conference held on March 1. Gubor's award-winning project, "A community-based participatory research study on diet quality, dietary intake, and quality of life among food pantry clients in Texas," showcased the impact of nutrition-focused research in addressing real-world challenges.

Department of Nutrition students shine during Student Research Week

Several students in the Department of Nutrition showcased their hard work and research skills during Texas A&M’s Student Research Week, one of the largest student-led research symposiums in the country. From posters to oral presentations, our students represented the department with excellence, including Bailee McEwan from the Chapkin Lab who was awarded 2nd Place Overall for Oral Presentations.

Read about each of our participating students here.

Alicia Gilmore hosts session at Muscular Dystrophy Association conference

Alicia Gilmore, dietetic internship director and clinical associate professor in the Department of Nutrition, hosted a session at the 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association, MDA, Clinical & Scientific Conference held at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. Her session, "Optimizing Nutrition and Physical Therapy in Neuromuscular Disease: Practical Applications for Patient Care," highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in managing neuromuscular conditions. 

Racine and Seguin-Fowler speak at IHA forum

Beth Racine, DrPH, and Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D., were featured speakers at the Responsive Agriculture Forum: The Solution to Creating a Healthier Future, hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture. The event took place on World Health Day at The Shirley & Joe Swinbank ’74 AgriLife Center.

Nutrition and Dietetic Association support The Big Event

Members of the Nutrition and Dietetic Association, NDA, participated in The Big Event, Texas A&M’s largest student-run service project. NDA students spent the day giving back to the Bryan-College Station community through acts of service, reflecting the Aggie core value of selfless service.

Way to go, NDA!

Meghan Windham featured on "Good Health is Good Bull" podcast

Meghan Windham, associate dietetic internship director and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition, recently joined Good Health is Good Bull, the Texas A&M University Health Services podcast, for an episode titled "The Gutsy Truth." In this episode, she shares practical tips for busy students on healthy snacking, meal timing and making informed food choices. Her engaging insights offer helpful ways to fuel both body and mind while navigating the demands of college life.

Listen to the episode here!

Students attend 2025 Texas Academy Annual Conference & Exhibition

Texas A&M Department of Nutrition students attended the 2025 Texas Academy Annual Conference & Exhibition held April 4-5 in Georgetown. The conference brought together professionals, educators and students from across the state.

While there, our students hosted a breakfast event to connect with prospective students and share more about the dietetics field and Texas A&M programs!

Texas A&M students win 3rd place in 2025 Texas Student Dietetic Association Food Pun Banner Competition

In addition to attending the 2025 Texas Academy Annual Conference & Exhibition, students in the Department of Nutrition won 3rd place in the banner competition for their "Aggies keep you rooted in nutrition" banner!

Haana Gibbs honored with Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Outstanding Student Award

From the ballet studio to the classroom, Haana Gibbs' passion for evidence-based practice and healing through food is earning well-deserved recognition.

Read more about Hanna Gibbs and how she turned a personal journey into a professional mission — and earned the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Outstanding Student Award along the way!

Bradley Johnston, Ph.D., was invited as an expert committee member to the 2024 International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics in London to present a synopsis of clinical trials assessing the impact of probiotics combined with antibiotics on gastrointestinal outcomes.

The international committee of experts recently published their findings. In their review article, Johnston and others explain the existing evidence on antibiotics' disruptive effects on the human microbiota, how microbiota restoration might be defined and measured, and the effect of probiotics in preventing disruption or aiding microbiota recovery after antibiotic treatment.

Doctoral candidate Zahra Esmaeilinezhad recently published an evidence-based summary of the highest quality systematic reviews with meta-analysis of RCTs (n=40) evaluating the comparative effectiveness of dietary programs for reducing mortality and cardiovascular event risk.

Designed to help busy healthcare workers stay informed, Medical Nutrition Therapy Evidence Updates provide clear, accessible information on the latest clinical and policy relevant systematic reviews. The information provided in these summaries guides health services decision making, supports personalized care for patients and highlights gaps in the research that need to be filled.

Johanna Andrews Trevino, Ph.D., is a multicultural public health scientist focused on integrating nutrition, agriculture and health policy to improve global health. Before joining Texas A&M, she led large-scale research and evaluation projects across Africa, Asia and Latin America and contributed to global nutrition strategy development. She holds a doctorate in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University and is passionate about using research to create real-world solutions for maternal and child health.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Senior Merit Award winners

Haana Gibbs

Ellie Goen

Jennie Kim

Lena Sugg

Brianna Westmoreland

Grants

Yuxian Sun, Ph.D., has been selected for the Neuhaus-Shepardson Faculty Development Grant for funding in the amount of $2,500.

Publications

Esmaeilinezhad Z, Torbahn G, Johnston BC. MNT Evidence Update: Comparative Effectiveness of Dietary Programs for Reducing Mortality and Cardiovascular Events in Adults with Increased Cardiovascular Risk. Adv Nutr. 2025 Feb 26:100399. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100399

Szajewska H, Scott KP, de Meij T, Forslund-Startceva SK, Knight R, Koren O, Little P, Johnston BC, Łukasik J, Suez J, Tancredi DJ, Sanders ME. Antibiotic-perturbed microbiota and the role of probiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2025 Mar;22(3):155-172. 

Verdezoto AA, Suh B, Todd M, Szeszulski J, Lorenzo E, Bruening M, Schuchardt C, & Lee RE. Eating in the Absence of Hunger and BMI Percentiles among Primarily Hispanic PreschoolAge Children. Nutrients. 2025

Perry CK, Maddock JE, Dieckmann NR, Winkle J, Franklin H, Currier JJ, Andreyeva E, Seguin-Fowler RA. Associations of physical activityrelated social norms and frequency of outdoor walking with perceived walkability among rural Oregon adults. J Public Health Man. In press.

Maddock, J. E., Perry, C. K., Seguin-Fowler, R., Diekman, N. F., Currier, J., Winkle, J., Lenstra, N., & Franklin, H. (2024). Is Walk Score a useful tool for measuring walkability in rural communities? The Journal of Rural Health. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12895

Abstracts

Meek Hall M, Patterson JA, MacMillan Uribe AL, Simon L, Eglash A, Standish KR. Implementing Optimal Breastfeeding Care in Large Health Systems: Barriers, Facilitators, and Recommendations. Accepted as Poster for Academy Health Annual Research Meeting. Minneapolis, MN, USA

MacMillan Uribe AL, Gupta M, Largacha-Cevallos E, Xin L, Trevino V, McNeely A, Szeszulski J, Rethorst C, Seguin-Fowler RA. Evaluating the feasibility of a produce prescription plus education and selfmonitoring support program among adults with elevated blood pressure from a low-income urban community in the United States.

Oral and Poster Presentations

Rethorst CD, Demment M, Ha S, Graham ML, Folta SC, Eldridge GD, Seguin-Fowler RA. Identifying predictors of intervention effectiveness: A moderator analysis of the Strong Hearts Healthy Communities 2.0 trial. Society of Behavioral Medicine, Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA, March 2025.

Rethorst CD, Githinji P, Seguin-Fowler RA, MacMillan Uribe AL, Szeszulski J. Pilot study evaluating the StrongPeople Strong Heart digital intervention. Society of Behavioral Medicine, Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA, March 2025

Giving to the Department of Nutrition

The quality of education for nutrition students at Texas A&M University is shaped by the invaluable contributions of a diverse educational team. This includes not only faculty and staff but also donors, advisory committee members, guest speakers, industry leaders, internship supervisors, employers, community partners and many others. Together, they enrich the student experience and support the department's mission to advance the field of nutrition.

You can support the Department of Nutrition by making an endowed gift, which provides lasting support, or by contributing a non-endowed gift for immediate use toward a specific purpose. Your generosity plays a critical role in fostering student success and innovation in the field of nutrition.

About the Department of Nutrition

The Department of Nutrition at Texas A&M University is committed to providing students with an exceptional education that equips them with the knowledge, skills and expertise to excel as leaders in nutrition, health and food systems. Our students receive a comprehensive, science-driven education that prepares them for careers in health care, clinical nutrition, research, public health and more.

We offer a range of programs, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, minors and certificates, to help students expand and tailor their educational journey. With guidance from our experienced faculty and staff, who bring cutting-edge research and real-world expertise to the classroom, students are supported every step of the way as they prepare to address the complex challenges in the field of nutrition.

aglifesciences.tamu.edu | nutrition.tamu.edu 

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