Nutrition former student Michael Starnes sworn in as presidential political appointee to the USDA

Yuxiang Sun named Interim Associate Director for the Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA)

Yuxiang Sun, Ph.D., has been named Interim Associate Director for the Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture. She begun serving in this role in December 2025. Please join us in congratulating her for this new leadership position.

Jacob Szeszulski invited speaker at IMPACT event

Jacob Szeszulski, Ph.D., Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture faculty scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition, was invited to share how implementation science can help accelerate effectiveness research at the Texas A&M University Faculty Affairs' recent IMPACT — Innovation, Mentoring, Purpose, Aspiration and Community — event. The annual celebration of faculty impact honors rising faculty members, builds community among scholars, enhances career success trajectories and amplifies the broader reputation of Texas A&M.

'Ion Research Lab' study recruitment

The Ion Research Lab is recruiting participants for its lutein, zeaxanthin, fish oil supplement study. If you are interested in more information about participating in this study, email ionhealth@tamu.edu or click here to learn more.

Academic advisor Evelyn Quinones retires

After serving the college for nearly a decade as an academic advisor, Evelyn Quinones retired at the end of December. Quinones will be missed by students across the college, including in the Department of Nutrition, for her positive attitude, consistent responsiveness and her ability to overcome obstacles while leading others. Evelyn plans to enjoy her retirement by spending more time with her family.

 

The Departments of Food Science and Technology and Nutrition co-hosted a retirement party for Quinones on Dec. 4.

Department hosts end of semester coffee bar

To celebrate the last day of classes, the Department of Nutrition hosted a coffee bar in the Norman E. Borlaug Building on Dec. 8. Including a menu with finals-themed drinks — including coffee, cold brew, and matcha — and a line out the door at 10 a.m., this event was fun and successful. Thank you to all who came out to enjoy a coffee with us on the last day of classes – we are already excited to host our spring semester kickoff event later this month.

Student Leader and High Achiever

 

You’ve probably seen Elina around the Borlaug building a time or two – she’s always smiling, chatting, studying or a combination of the three. In addition to being a student, Elina is extremely active in departmental leadership including serving as the past president of NDA and president and co-director of Nutrition Dietetic Career workshop. Additionally, she works at Chick-Fil-A to help with college expenses. Her family is in California so she has little family support close by. She's a rock star.

 

“Although Elina balances a busy schedule with academics, leadership in the Department of Nutrition, and working at Chick-Fil-A, she always wears a beautiful smile that encourages and inspires others,” said Karen Beathard, Ph.D., associate department head for undergraduate programs.

Star Student: Degree Milestone

 

Amber Chang can be seen around the department rocking impressive fashion, mentoring undergraduate students and supporting her fellow graduate students. She is kind, compassionate and crazy smart. We are proud to say she passed her preliminary exams and advanced to candidacy this past fall.

 

“Amber is a delight to work with. She’s responsible and fun, and I always look forward to seeing her in the department,” said Serina DeSalvio, Ph.D., program coordinator for the department.

Post Doctoral Research Associate

 

Nirjhar Ruth Ghosh, who completed her Ph.D. in the lab of Bradley Johnston, Ph.D., in August 2025, joined the Decision Support Lab in the Department of Health Services Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2025. Her work at MD Anderson focuses on developing and implementing decision support tools that help patients make informed cancer screening decisions, as well as evaluating how those tools are used in practice.

 

This postdoctoral position allows Ghosh to apply her doctoral training by using her expertise in evidence-informed care within clinical settings, where healthcare professionals support integrating patient values and preferences into health-related decision-making. Ghosh aspires to be an implementation scientist, aiming to improve patient and public health in clinical and community settings

Poor diet and inactivity contribute to chronic disease, and neighborhood design influences these behaviors. Agriculturally-integrated neighborhoods, agrihoods, which are residential communities centered on working farms, aim to promote healthy eating and physical activity, yet their health impacts remain unstudied. The six-month mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study, led by Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D., associate director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture and professor in the Department of Nutrition, compares new agrihood residents in Richmond to residents of a nearby development. Assessments occur at three, and six months via surveys, health measures, accelerometry and dietary recalls. Analyses use difference-in-differences models; economic evaluation considers costs, incentives, and break-even time. As the first longitudinal evaluation of agrihood living, this study will inform design, policy and investment strategies to scale health-promoting residential models.

 

Heidi Vanden Brink, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and associate member in the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, has published two new papers with her lab team. The first paper, "Barriers and facilitators to lifestyle behavior change and goal setting in adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome," was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. IHA faculty scientist Alexandra MacMillan-Uribe, Ph.D., registered dietician and assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition, served as co-author on this paper. The second paper, "Feasibility of Continuous Glucose Monitor Use and Glucose Pattern Analysis in Females with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome," was published in the journal Diabetes Technology and Obesity Medicine.

 

The Nutrition Sciences Graduate Association, NSGA, hosted an end-of-semester event promoting relaxation for doctoral and master’s students on the last day of classes in December.

 

They played games, did puzzles and had an opportunity to unwind after a busy fall semester. We are so proud of all the work these students do. Between teaching, grading, doing research and preparing for rotations, the relaxation was extremely well-deserved.

 

Undergraduate

 

Jesse A. Briseno

Paitlyn Grace Collier

Joany Givelly Juan

Danielle Frances Rivera

Elina Nikolayevna Vakunova

Joaquin Sebastian Armendariz

Kennedy Rae Barnett

Avery Blythe Binning

Jordyn A. Bodiford

Ila Grace Caron

Eva Halina Del Frate

Tiffany LeeAnn Downey

Emily Hao

Emma Louise McRill

Austin McKeeson Mynhier

Sydney Nicole Payton

Tracy Qi

Valerie Ramos

Bryce Joseph Somer

Lena Ashlyn Sugg

Emma Griffith Thomas

Madison A. Vaughn

Jacob Connor Watson

Brianna M. Westmoreland

Brianna Danyelle Fernandez

Jenna Renee Hardison

Brooklyn Angelic Moree

Salwa Islam Munawara

Gianna R. Salas

 

Graduate

 

Catherine Qin - Master of Science in Nutrition

Hye Won Han - Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition

For the first time ever, departmental awards were a feature of this year's holiday party in December. Nominations for each category were collected throughout November and early December, and evaluated by the departmental awards committee.

 

Please join us in congratulating our first awardees for the following departmental awards:

 

Administrative Staff Excellence Award: Dr. Serina DeSalvio

Research Staff excellence Award: Dr. Wanbao Yao

Graduate Student Research Excellence Award: Zeyu "Woody" Liu

Mentorship Excellence Award: Dr. Karen Beathard

Teaching Excellence Award: Saundra Lorenz

Most Impactful Peer-Reviewed Publication in 2024/2025: Dr. Sylvie Estrela

 

Publications

 

Maddock JE, Lewis EC, Villarreal DL, MacMillan Uribe AL, Janda-Thomte KM, Han G, Hall CR, Sturdivant RX, Patterson MS, Graham ML, Seguin-Fowler RA, Umstattd Meyer RM. Protocol for a Naturalistic Study of Residents Living in an Agriculturally-Integrated ("Agrihood") Neighborhood. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025; 13:1679602. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1679602

 

Gadiraju M, Kim J, Green EM, MacMillan Uribe AL, Chang H, Burgert TS, Olfert M, Vanden Brink H. Barriers and Facilitators to Dietary Behavior Change and Goal Setting in Adolescents with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2025; 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1628853

 

Gadiraju, M., Kim, J. Y., Green, E. M., Uribe, A. M., Chang, H., Burgert, T. S., Olfert, M. D., & Vanden Brink, H. (2025, December 10). Barriers and facilitators to lifestyle behavior change and goal setting in adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1628853/full

 

Safdar I, Vettese R, Hinz HA, et al. Feasibility of Continuous Glucose Monitor Use and Glucose Pattern Analysis in Females with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Diabetes Technology and Obesity Medicine. 2025;1(1). doi:10.1177/29986702251388042

 

Oral & Poster Presentations

 

Rethorst CD. Development and Optimization of Digital Behavior Change Interventions. Presented at: University of Texas - Arlington, Department of Kinesiology

 

Rethorst CD. Behavioral Activation to Increase Physical Activity in Persons with Depression: Intervention Effects on Sleep Outcomes. Presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

 

Rethorst CD. Behavioral Activation to Increase Physical Activity in Persons with Depression. Presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

 

MacMillan Uribe AL. Addressing Chronic Diseases Through Improved Food and Nutrition Security. Presented at: Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas

 

Maddock JE, Lewis EC, Villarreal DL, MacMillan Uribe AL, Janda-Thomte KM, Han G, Hall CR, Sturdivant RX, Patterson MS, Graham ML, Seguin-Fowler RA, Umstattd Meyer MR. Living in Agriculturally-Integrated Neighborhoods: Protocol for Assessing Longitudinal Changes in Health and Community Behaviors.

 

George A, McNeely A, De Mello G, Rethorst CD, Seguin-Fowler RA, Szeszulski J, MacMillan Uribe AL. Health educators’ perceptions of recruitment materials for Strong Teens for Healthy Schools.

 

Wang X, Borchers L, Nayga R, MacMillan Uribe AL. Evaluating the Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Community Café Model on Food Insecurity.

 

MacMillan Uribe AL, Seguin-Fowler RA, Fisher KP, Bender E, Eldridge GD, Bailey RL, Ross AC, Mitchell DC, Shankar K, Gras-Najjar J, Early A. Identifying retention strategies for maternal and child health and nutrition research: Perspectives of women of child-bearing age and clinical practitioners.

 

Tranchina C,* MacMillan Uribe AL, Econie S, Jetel H, Patterson JA. Exploring Breastfeeding Professionals’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence for Breastfeeding Support.

 

Jetel H,* Patterson JA, Tranchina C, Econie S, MacMillan Uribe AL. Evaluating Informational Quality of AI-bot Generated Outputs for Common Breastfeeding Questions.

 

Econie S,* MacMillan Uribe AL, Jetel H, Tranchina C, Patterson JA. Comprehensibility of Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses for Common Breastfeeding Questions.

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 high-quality 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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