The Department of Nutrition is thrilled to launch the Nutrition Merchandise Storefront!
Get your swag now at tx.ag/NUTRMerch, and don’t wait — the store closes Thursday, Feb. 20, at 11:59 p.m.!
A portion of proceeds will directly support the Nutritional Sciences Graduate Association, helping to grow and support the department's graduate students. Order today and rep Nutrition with pride!
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Texas A&M's life sciences graduate programs recently came together to host the 2025 Life Sciences Graduate Recruitment Symposium at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum pavilion. This collaborative event featured graduate students from each department presenting their research through poster sessions, alongside dynamic three-minute oral presentations from select students. Attendees were also treated to a fascinating keynote speech from a former CIA spy.
The symposium serves as a key recruitment opportunity for prospective doctoral students, and the joint efforts of all participating programs have contributed to increased acceptance and enrollment rates.
Congratulations to all presenters for their outstanding work, and a huge thank you to Serina DeSalvio, Ph.D., Ximena Paez-Colasante, Ph.D., the Department of Nutrition faculty, and faculty and staff from all life sciences departments for making this event a success.
Take a look at the Texas A&M AgriLife PhotoShelter album for photos of the event.
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Missy Turetgen ’25 never expected her love for food and science to take her nearly 1,000 miles from home — but Texas A&M felt like the perfect fit. Drawn by the university’s strong sense of community and its opportunities in nutrition, she found a place where her passion could thrive.
Read more about her journey and what led her to the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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The Department of Nutrition was honored to host Teresa Davis, Ph.D., from Baylor College of Medicine for its recent graduate seminar. Davis, an internationally recognized expert in protein and amino acid metabolism, delivered a compelling talk titled "Nutritional Regulation of Muscle Growth in Neonates."
With an impressive career spanning groundbreaking research on amino acid and insulin signaling, Davis has received numerous accolades, including the Research Mentor Award from Baylor College of Medicine and election to the National Academy of Medicine. Her insights provided graduate students with a deeper understanding of the metabolic effects of nutrients, hormones and growth factors on muscle growth, and the Department of Nutrition is grateful for her willingness to share her expertise.
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Didactic Program in Dietetics faculty and students attend Dairy MAX Event at the Star
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Over the past year, Valeria Popoca Gonzalez, Diego Prezas, David Tierranegra, and Gabriela Rivera-Vega have been serving as Dairy MAX student representatives supporting the San Antonio’s City of Gastronomy designation, while preserving culture, supporting local agriculture and promoting sustainability.
These students and three faculty members, Karen Beathard, Ph.D., Alicia Gilmore, and Meghan Windham, were invited to a Dairy MAX culinary immersion focused on exploring dairy’s unique role in Black and Hispanic American heritages, recipes and culture with a nutrition science perspective. The Jan. 17 event included a behind-the-scenes tour of the Star, home of the Dallas Cowboys, along with culinary demos, professional networking and more.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, Popoca Gonzalez, Prezas, Tierranegra, Rivera-Vega and Beathard convened with regional and national organization leaders to give a presentation of their experiences and discuss future opportunities to elevate MiPlato/My Plate during Hispanic Heritage Month. This group will also be contributing to a presentation at the upcoming Texas Academy Annual Conference and Exhibition in April 2025.
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Earlier this month, the Department of Nutrition hosted our back-to-school s’mores and hot chocolate event, and it was a blast! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to enjoy sweet treats and great company. We had so much fun that we’re thinking…should we make an annual Spring Kickoff S’mores event a tradition? Let us know what you think!
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Setnick leads bootcamp on how to address eating disorders
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On Friday, Feb. 7, over 50 attendees, comprised of undergraduate nutrition students, Master of Clinical Nutrition students, dietetic internship preceptors and faculty attended a mini bootcamp with Jessica Setnick on the subject of eating disorders. Setnick shared her expertise to guide students and assist professionals to identify and help individuals who are struggling with their eating. She is the director of the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians, and she has been a pioneer in the field of eating disorders. Participants received applicable techniques, tools and resources to use in their training and practice of dietetics.
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Bradley Johnston, Ph.D., and his lab played a leading role in a recently published systematic review and meta-analysis of 73 randomized trials (>6,300 participants) evaluating behavioral interventions for managing obesity in children and adolescents, published in Pediatric Obesity, a World Obesity Federation and Wiley journal. Doctoral students Zahra Esmaeilinezhad and Michelle Rigsby played a central role in data extraction and determining minimal important difference estimates for patient/proxy quality of life outcomes as well as anthropometric and related cardiometabolic outcomes. The systematic review is being used to inform the upcoming Canadian and German Pediatric Obesity Management Guidelines, guideline recommendations that will be the first to incorporate quality of life outcomes and minimal important difference estimates for obesity management guidelines. Congrats to Esmaeilinezhad and Rigsby.
Additionally, Johnston's EvidenceBasedNutrition.org program has published three new papers in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health, just indexed on PubMed, providing structured guidance on how to read and understand randomized clinical trials and systematic reviews of observational studies addressing clinical nutrition and public health nutrition questions. The articles are referred to as Nutrition Users' Guides, and based on examples from the nutrition literature, provide guidance questions on risk of bias assessment, interpreting statistical results, and applying the evidence to unique clinical and public health services questions. Ruth Ghosh, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Nutrition, played a key role in the paper's publication by addressing risk of bias issues in randomized trials.
Each of the citations can be found below in "Recent Publications."
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| The Department of Nutrition's very own Lauren Coheley Spain, Ph.D., RDN, LD, FAND, has been nominated for the position of director-at-large on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' national ballot.
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| Szeszulski to begin new project on child health education |
In collaboration with Arizona State University, Jacob Szeszulski, Ph.D., was funded as the implementation science co-investigator on a project that is testing implementation strategies for evidence-based physical activity and nutrition education for preschoolers in sustainability via active garden education.
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Master of Science in Nutrition student at Texas A&M University
From 4-H Food Shows to fueling top athletes — Jena Brown, RD, CSSD, ISAK-1, has built a career in endurance nutrition and mentorship. Learn how this Aggie alum is shaping the future of sports nutrition and supporting the next generation of dietitians.
Read more about Brown's journey and her experience in the Texas A&M Department of Nutrition.
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Henderson M, Moore SA, Harnois-Leblanc S, Johnston BC, Fitzpatrick-Lewis D, Usman AM, Sherifali D, Merdad R, Rigsby AM, Esmaeilinezhad Z, Morrison KM, Hamilton J, Ball GDC, Birken CS. Effectiveness of behavioural and psychological interventions for managing obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis framed using minimal important difference estimates based on GRADE guidance to inform a clinical practice guideline. Pediatr Obes. 2025 Jan 16:e13193. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.13193. VIEW HERE
Zeraatkar D, de Souza RJ, Guyatt GH, Bala MM, Alonso-Coello P, Johnston BC. Nutrition Users' Guides: Systematic Reviews Part 1 - structured guide for methodological assessment, interpretation and application of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of non-randomised nutritional epidemiology studies. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2024 Aug 28;7(2):e000835. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2023-000835. VIEW HERE
Bala MM, Agarwal A, Klatt KC, Vernooij RWM, Alonso-Coello P, Steen JP, Guyatt GH, Duque T, Johnston BC. Nutrition Users' Guides: RCTs Part 2 - structured guide for interpreting and applying study results from randomised controlled trials on therapy or prevention questions. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2024 Aug 29;7(2):e000834. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2023-000834. VIEW HERE
Agarwal A, Bala MM, Zeraatkar D, Valli C, Alonso-Coello P, Ghosh NR, Han MA, Guyatt GH, Klatt KC, Ball GDC, Johnston BC. Nutrition Users' Guides: RCTs Part 1 - structured guide for assessing risk of bias in randomised controlled trials that address therapy or prevention questions. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2024 Aug 28;7(2):e000833. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2023-000833. VIEW HERE
Crespo NC, Vega-López S, Szeszulski J, et al. Efficacy of a Community- and Family-Based Intervention on Cardiovascular Fitness and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors Among Primarily Latino Families. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/08901171251316926 VIEW HERE
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Giving to the Department of Nutrition
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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.
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About the Department of Nutrition
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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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