Nutrition@Syracuse - Fall 2018

Table of Contents

A new decade of Nutrition@Syracuse

This was a milestone year as Nutrition at Syracuse turned 100! We had a grand celebration in September 2017 and were glad so many of you joined us. We had amazing presentations given by alumni and friends of the College, a silent auction, and a wonderful display of our history. This history now lives outside of the Nutrition program’s academic suite for all to see, and can be seen in this newsletter as well.

Continuing as the undergraduate program director, I am pleased to report we have much to celebrate with the ebb and flow of our Nutrition programs. We are proud of our students and how hard they work in class and in the community. Their dedication continues to pay off. As you will read in the pages to follow, they are securing fantastic internships and graduate programs as alumni.

We added three new hires this year. In January, 2018, Nicole Beckwith, M.S., R.D. started as the new director of the dietetic internship program. She hit the ground running and we are thankful for her enthusiasm. We were lucky to secure a tenure-line faculty appointment for sports and/or integrative and functional nutrition and fortunate to hire an expert in both: Jessica Redmond, Ph.D. candidate, R.D. For our food services teaching professor position, we are grateful to have hired alumna Chaya (Mono) Charles, M.S., R.D. to join us full time. Both Jessica and Chaya started in the fall. Welcome to all!

We are thankful for our beautiful teaching spaces in the Susan Klenk Café and Kitchens and the Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center. Throughout this newsletter, you will see how we are using both of these facilities often for assessment, demonstrations, nutrition counseling, and the new biochemical and physical assessment class.

In the spring, we held our Third Annual Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Lecture, made possible by a very generous gift of the Ann S. Litt Foundation, Inc. Syracuse University alumna, Emme, a leading voice and face in the fashion industry committed to raising public awareness of eating and body image disorders, was a hit! We have invited a prominent sports nutrition alumna, Katy Meassick, back for the Fourth Ann Litt Lecture, so we hope you will join us November 15 for that event. Please watch for exciting details about the Joan Christy Lecture Series coming soon. 

Please keep in touch so that our paths can cross, either on campus, at conferences or other events and activities. Best wishes for a wonderful year ahead.

~ Tanya M. Horacek, Ph.D., R.D. Director of Undergraduate Programs and Professor of Nutrition

From the Dean…

What a year it was! The commemoration of 100 years of nutrition education at Syracuse University with various events in 2017 brought students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, community partners, and friends together to recognize the past and prepare for the future. The powerful presentation by supermodel and body image advocate, Emme, for the Third Annual Ann Litt Distinguished Speaker Series hosted during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week in February 2018 illustrated that Falk College continues to lead the way in preparing and inspiring future nutrition professionals.

I am exceedingly proud and eternally grateful to the faculty and staff leading these efforts every day in our classrooms and throughout the community. I am equally proud of our students who recognize their responsibility to be socially responsible global citizens as they prepare for careers in food and nutrition.

To the generous donors to our Nutrition programs, we could not do this work without you. As you will read in the pages to follow, our students are the beneficiaries of the support you provide. Thank you for putting your trust in us. As we embark on the next decade of nutrition education, we are grateful to all who continue to make our progress possible. Working together, our future is very promising.

~ Diane Lyden Murphy, M.A., M.S.W., Ph.D., Dean, Falk College

Falk College celebrates 100 years of nutrition education at Syracuse 

In celebration of 100 years of nutrition education, Falk College hosted nearly 150 guests including current students, alumni, community partners, current and retired faculty and staff, and other members of the campus and local communities at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown on September 22, 2017. The evening included remarks by event chairperson, Lynn Brann, associate professor of nutrition, Diane Lyden Murphy, dean of Falk College, and Michele Wheatly, vice chancellor and provost at Syracuse University. In addition to networking and reminiscing, attendees enjoyed a silent auction that raised more than $2,000 to support nutrition students’ community service projects, research efforts, and study abroad experiences. 

The anniversary commemoration continued the following day at the Falk Complex with lectures and cooking demonstrations by alumni on topics ranging from adding flavor to heart health and empowering registered dietitians in using social media to emphasizing local, sustainable food and mindful eating. Special guests included nutrition alumna, Rhoda Dearman Morrisroe and husband, Paul, whose generous support created the Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center in Falk College, and Falk alumna, Susan R. Klenk, whose support made the Klenk Learning Café and Kitchens possible. Also in the audience were Syracuse alumni Helaine and Marvin Lender, whose family supported a food laboratory dedicated in Slocum Hall in 1988. 

Daina Falk, founder and chief executive of Hungry Fan, and the daughter of Syracuse University alumni and Falk College benefactors, David B. and Rhonda S. Falk, conducted a cooking demonstration entitled, “Keeping Hungry Fans Happy with a Healthy Half-Time.” Alumna and keynote speaker, Professor Wendy Demark-Wahnefried ’88, addressed the role nutrition science can play in reducing the nation’s burden of cancer. Demark-Wahnefried is the Webb Endowed Chair of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

“The founding members of the nutrition program here were forward-thinkers who were ahead of their time. These faculty members were accomplished female scientists who built the foundation for the nationally recognized program that stands today,” says Brann. 

While acknowledging the faculty and staff over the decades who played a critical role in the lives of the 2,078 nutrition, nutrition science and dietetics alumni around the world, Dean Murphy referenced former College of Home Economics dean, Annie MacLeod, who was a firm believer that education should not be confined to the classroom. “Among the earliest examples of service learning in Falk College’s history is one attributed to nutrition students who responded to an urgent call from the city’s Welfare Department to help mothers prepare healthy, appetizing meals from their food distribution packets. Dean MacLeod’s philosophy was especially embraced in the nutrition programs then, and that continues today,” says Murphy. 

Photos in this section of the Newsletter included: Alumna Amy Hoover, faculty members Jane Uzcategui and Tanya Horacek, and alumna Kathryn Szklany. Alumna and keynote speaker Wendy Demark-Wahnefried ’88 addresses the role nutrition science can play in reducing the nation’s burden of cancer. Nutrition administrative assistant Donna Sparkes with students greeting guests at Friday evening’s 100-year celebration. Alumna Cindy Chan Phillips provides a demonstration during her presentation, “Adding Flavor to Heart Health.” Professor emerita, Lois Schroeder, former dean of the College for Human Development and instrumental in Falk College’s nutrition programs for many years, with Rhonda Mona, an alumna of the dietetics coordinated program. Daina Falk conducts a cooking demonstration in the ACE Center. Friday reception guests included Ruth Sullivan, Kay Stearns Bruening, emeriti professors Lois Schroeder and Pirkko Turkki, and Kelly Boswell. Celebrating at the Hotel Syracuse were David Salanger, Lynn Brann, Kay Stearns Bruening, Rhoda Dearman Morrisroe, Dean Diane Lyden Murphy, and Paul Morrisroe. Syracuse alumni Marvin and Helaine Lender in the audience for a food demonstration in the ACE Center. Otto and program guests have lunch in the Falk Complex on Saturday, September 23. 

Nutrition science graduate program update 

by Lynn S. Brann, Ph.D., R.D.N., F.A.N.D. 

This year we celebrated “100 Years of Nutrition at Syracuse University.” This celebration allowed the graduate students to participate in the festivities and appreciate the rich history of their program. The faculty continue to enjoy the inquisitive nature and passion of our graduate students. A small group of faculty initiated a research group with the first-year graduate students this year who are working on their thesis research. These regular meetings allowed for collaborative discussions about research methodology and enhanced critical thinking. This faculty/graduate student research group will continue this academic year and a plan is in place to expand this to a larger group so that we can enhance the research experience of the nutrition science graduate students. 

In terms of curriculum, we continue to move the Certificate of Advance Studies (C.A.S.) in integrative and functional nutrition forward through the curriculum approval process. We will be transitioning courses included in this C.A.S. to an online format to have a greater reach for interested students. Additionally, we will be spending time this summer and into the fall planning on how we will position our graduate program for students interested in becoming Registered Dietitian/Nutritionists using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Future Education Model. We are very pleased to welcome Nikki Beckwith as our new dietetic internship director. She brings with her several years of clinical experience and a passion for the profession of dietetics. The nutrition faculty strive to positively contribute to the nutrition field by providing graduate students with an exceptional graduate school experience. 

Nutrition Program News & Notes

The Litt Distinguished Speaker Series

The Litt Distinguished Speaker Series is named after Falk nutrition alumna, Ann Selkowitz Litt ’75, a nationally known nutritionist who helped children and adolescents with eating disorders and assisted developing athletes in reaching their full potential. The nutrition consultant to CosmoGirl magazine, Litt was the author of The College Students’ Guide to Eating Well on Campus, Fuel for Young Athletes, and the A.D.A. Guide to Private Practice. She was the nutritionist for the N.F.L.’s Washington Redskins and served as spokesperson for several media campaigns, including the Got Milk campaign. After her death, the Ann. S. Litt Foundation, Inc. was created to support nutrition education. 

Nutrition program hosts Emme for Ann Litt Distinguished Lecture 

by Michele J. Barrett 

On February 28, 2018, Falk College and its nutrition program hosted supermodel and body image advocate, Emme ’85, for the Third Annual Ann Litt Distinguished Lecture Series. Coinciding with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, her presentation, entitled “Facing our fears: Embracing the ones we’re with,” was followed by a reception and book signing of her newest book, Chicken Soup For The Soul Curvy and Confident: 101 Stories of Loving Yourself and Your Body. Guests were also treated to a “Fashion Without Limits (F.W.L.) Pop-Up Show” with designs created by Syracuse University fashion students as part of the FWL initiative. 

An alumna of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (V.P.A.), Emme is the iconic world’s first curvy supermodel. A TV personality, model, mom, author, brand spokesperson, creative director of her clothing lines, cancer survivor, lecturer, and globally recognized women’s advocate for positive body image and self-esteem, she is the first model invited to speak before a Congressional subcommittee in Washington, D.C. with a mission to increase public awareness of eating and body image disorders. 

Emme discussed the realities of eating disorders, noting that the fashion industry plays a role in promoting eating disorders but can also be part of the solution by using a diversity of ‘real’ models and making clothes for all sizes. 

Of Emme’s messages, Mariana Serback, a second-year nutrition science graduate student, shared that “her presentation was very refreshing. Our bodies do so much for us when we’re not even thinking about it: our lungs are breathing, hearts are pumping, brains are thinking, and sometimes it is such a shame that some people don’t appreciate and love their bodies and all that they do for us. I hope that I can one day be an extension of Emme’s voice and message as a registered dietitian.” 

Photos in this section of the Newsletter included: Tanya Horacek, Kay Bruening, Emme, Lynn Brann, Susan Klenk, Diane Lyden Murphy following the Litt Lecture. Emme signs copies of her newest book, Chicken Soup For The Soul Curvy and Confident: 101 Stories of Loving Yourself and Your Body. Jacqueline Misch G’18, Mariana Serback G’18, Emme, and Iris Jaquez G’19. 

Fourth Annual Ann Litt Lecture to feature Katy Meassick November 15 

Falk College’s Nutrition program is pleased to announce the Fourth Annual Ann Litt Distinguished Lecture Series will feature alumna Katy Meassick, R.D. on November 15, 2018. Katy is the performance dietitian for the Cleveland Browns, overseeing the team’s nutritional needs since 2016. She currently oversees the menus in the players’ café and institutes nutritional protocols for injured athletes and those athletes in need of weight guidance. She manages body composition while setting off-season weight goals for each athlete with discussions with the players’ position and strength coaches. 

Prior to joining the Cleveland Browns, Meassick was the director of sports nutrition for Florida State University where she oversaw the nutrition needs for all F.S.U. student-athletes. Implementing a strong foundation of nutrition education and programming, Katy managed the training table, body composition, counseling and supplement evaluation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from University of South Florida, following completion she obtained her A.T.C. credential. She earned her master’s degree in nutrition science at Syracuse University and completed her Dietetic Internship at the University of Maryland. 

Katy is a registered dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is a member of the Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN) dietetic practice group. Katy is also a board certified specialist in sports dietetics, and a certified athletic trainer with the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers. She is also a member of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (C.P.S.D.A.) where she participates on the Conference Committee. 

NSD faculty to lead planning for 2019 S.N.E.B. Conference in Orlando 

Pack your beach bags! The 2019 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (S.N.E.B.) Annual Conference will be held in Orlando, Florida beginning Saturday, July 27 through Tuesday, July 30 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Jennifer Wilkins, the Daina E. Falk Endowed Professor of Practice in Nutrition, is the incoming president-elect for S.N.E.B. and in that position will be responsible for planning the 2019 conference. Students interested in being part of this planning process will have opportunities to engage and provide input. 

Falk College celebrates Child Nutrition Day 

by Michele J. Barrett 

What do you get when you put a bell pepper and a carrot together with corn niblets, green beans, blueberries, and eggplant? 

A rainbow. 

This multi-colored food kaleidoscope supports a deliberate effort known as “eating the rainbow” to help children make healthy food choices. Thanks to a grant from the American Culinary Federation (A.C.F.) in support of Child Nutrition Day in October, associate teaching professor and A.C.F. chef Mary Kiernan, presented a mini food demonstration and tasting of the rainbow with children at the Bernice M. Wright (B.M.W.) Lab School. 

Childhood Nutrition Day celebrated on or around October 16 each year focuses on fostering and promoting awareness of proper nutrition. Recently, children at the B.M.W. Lab School, a part of Falk College’s Department of Human Development and Family Science (H.D.F.S.), worked in small groups led by Chef Kiernan and Falk nutrition major Mary Mik, who is also a Susan R. Klenk Learning Assistant. The demonstration engaged children ages two through four on such topics as how many taste buds a person has and why the foods they sampled that day are important to good nutrition. 

“It is exciting and essential for young children to interact with professionals—to see a real live chef in person. It exposes them to new interests, as well as new information,” says recently retired B.M.W. director Daria Webber. 

The hope was for children to take home their learning to their families. “We talked about things that taste too good, and why it is important to eat some of those foods that may not taste great but we should eat anyway because of what they do for our bodies,” adds Kiernan. 

The young B.M.W. students weren’t the only ones engaging in learning that day. Syracuse University student interns from H.D.F.S. had the opportunity to experience and observe this program. Since the launch of Childhood Nutrition Day in 1995, hundreds of chefs across the nation have participated in events in support of healthy childhood nutrition. 

Photos in this section include: Chef Mary Kiernan demonstrates the rainbow of foods to children at Bernice M. Wright Lab School. 

News from the Nutrition ACE Center 

Cooking on the Hillside 

Cooking on the Hillside is a program that engages high school youth in making healthy, nutritious food choices while learning cooking and food safety skills. The program occurs once per week at the Hillside Work- Scholarship Connection (Hillside). The mission of Hillside is to increase the graduation rates of students by providing long-term advocacy, academic resources, life skills development, and job training. The SU Nutrition Volunteer Coordinator for Hillside this year was Elizabeth Eisner ’18. In April, the Hillside students visited campus for a food demo in the ACE Center and tour of Falk College. 

Practice of Dietetics course food demonstrations 

This is the third semester we have incorporated food demonstration skills in the sophomore-level Practice of Dietetics class. Students complete four labs throughout the semester that include watching a cooking demonstration by the instructor, practicing a food demonstration with a partner, taping a food demonstration from their own kitchen/ dorm and a final food demonstration where they pick a recipe to cook and demonstrate while weaving in important nutrition education. This November, the class will be providing a cooking demonstration on healthy tailgate recipes for guests of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees. 

Biochemical and Physical Assessment course uses metabolic and biochemistry equipment 

The Biochemical and Physical Assessment course completed another successful semester using the ACE Center metabolic and biochemistry equipment. We plan to add additional hematology techniques to the course in the future. We look forward to incorporating the department’s patient care mannequin into the course in the upcoming year. 

Demonstration classes 2017-2018 

During Fall 2017, Cooking to Improve Athletic Performance, Cooking Healthy on a Budget and the new Cooking with Local Ingredients were all a hit in the ACE Center. For the spring, the new Vegetarian Nutrition demonstration class had a variety of tasty recipes for the students. 

Aphrodisiac cooking class 

A “Frisky February” collaboration with Falk College, the Health Services Office of Health Promotion, and the Bedsider Campus Ambassador Team included a demonstration, discussion and great food. Lisa Thomas, R.D., provided a cooking demonstration in the ACE Center on some sensual recipes with discussion from the Bedsider Campus Ambassadors about aphrodisiacs and spicing up your sex life. Participants sampled salads, smoothies, and other interesting recipes. 

Photos in this section include: Elizabeth Eisner ’18 at April food demo and Falk tour for local high school students. 

Nutrition at Syracuse: Established 1917 

When nutrition courses debuted at Syracuse University, cooking laboratories included 24 gas stoves, one fireless cooker, and a coal range. What a difference a century makes! At the same time, some things haven’t changed: experiential learning thrived in the program’s early years and remains an integral part of the nutrition program today. One of the earliest examples of service learning in Falk College’s history is attributed to nutrition students who responded to an urgent call from the city’s Welfare Department during the Great Depression and helped mothers prepare healthy, appetizing meals from their food distribution packets. Whether it is the nutritional status of adolescents, childhood obesity, diet-related disease epidemics, or dozens of contemporary issues we face today, nutrition at Syracuse has evolved to meet the dynamic needs of the community and continues to be at the forefront of nutrition education. 

1917

Syracuse University offers its first course in home economics. The School of Home Economics opens the following year, part of the College of Agriculture housed in Slocum Hall. That same year, the American Home Economics Association cancels its annual meeting because of its members’ obligations to World War I efforts. A small group of dietitians gather in the Cleveland Hospital basement to discuss how to better assist in the war effort. From this meeting, the American Dietetic Association is founded. 

1921

Due to rapid expansion, the University’s School of Home Economics is transitioned to the College of Home Economics, with Florence Knapp as founding Dean. In the mid-1920s, the majority of dietitians work in hospitals. Others are employed as cafeteria directors, public health or infant welfare dietitians, as well as nutrition teachers and researchers. 

1928

Edith Nason, a distinguished food scientist with a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale, joins the Syracuse University faculty. Pictured is a late-1920s Syracuse University nutrition lab. 

1937

Ancel Keys, physiologist at the University of Minnesota, personally raises money to develop emergency rations, eventually named K-rations, to sustain troops in the field for up to two weeks. Later in 1944, Keys begins the Minnesota Starvation Experiment with 36 conscientious objectors as test subjects to study the physiological and nutritional consequences of semi-starvation among concentration camp survivors. 

1938

The Home Economics Club is established. Pictured is the Syracuse University Quad in the 1930s. 

1946

Anne Bourquin, who joined the Syracuse University faculty in 1930, helps organize the Onondaga County Home Bureau Food Wagon, a rolling school on canning. She is known for her trailblazing research on riboflavin and rigorous advanced nutrition courses. 

1947

The College of Home Economics announces the first Community Nutrition Institute under the direction of the Department of Nutrition, sponsored jointly by Syracuse University and the New York State Department of Health. Pictured are Community Nutrition Institute attendees. Also pictured are nutrition students in the 1940s. 

1948

Under the direction of Edith Nason, recipes for the popular Hamilton Beach Food Mixer are tested and used to teach home economists at Syracuse. Pictured is a 1948 scene from the College of Home Economics. 

1950

The Delaney Committee starts a Congressional investigation of the safety of chemicals in foods and cosmetics, laying the foundation for the 1954 Miller Pesticides Amendment, the 1958 Food Additives Amendment, and the 1960 Color Additive Amendment. 

1951

Syracuse University begins a doctoral degree program in home economics. 

1956

U.S. schools receive reimbursement of 8 cents per pint of milk provided to students. This later becomes the Special Milk Program. 

1959

By the late 1950s, fast food restaurants are abundant in the U.S. Items such as Cheez Whiz, Sweet’N Low, and Tang are invented and become popular among consumers. 

1963

Julia Child’s most notable television program, The French Chef, premieres. 

1965

The first kitchen countertop microwave is introduced, selling for $500. 

1967

The College of Home Economics begins offering a semester in the Netherlands with courses in nutrition. That same year, John van Hengel opens the world’s first food bank in Phoenix, Arizona. St. Mary’s Food Bank, still in operation, distributed more than 250,000 pounds of food to 36 charities in its first year alone. 

1970

Starting in the 1970s, global movements concerned with pollution and the environment begin to focus heavily on organic farming. A major goal of the organic movement is to encourage consumption of locally grown food. Slogans such as “know your farmer, know your food” become popular. Pictured are Syracuse nutrition students in the 1970s. 

1971

The College of Home Economics is renamed the College for Human Development. Two years later, a major in clinical nutrition is added following approval by the American Dietetic Association. Pictured is a scene from a 1970s Coordinated Dietetics Clinical Conference. 

1973

The American Dietetic Association introduces the first National Nutrition Week, which later becomes National Nutrition Month in 1980.

1974

Enrollment in the College for Human Development is 645 and tuition is $2,600 per year.

1975

Syracuse nutrition professor Sarah Short is featured in The New York Times, who called her teaching methods, such as riding into class on a motorcycle, “outlandish.” Short graduated from the College of Home Economics with a degree in nutrition in 1946. In 2017, she is honored for 50 years of teaching at Syracuse University. Also in 1975, Saudi Arabia grants Syracuse University’s College for Human Development funding to train Saudi men to run school lunch programs. Pictured are students from Saudi Arabia. That same year, the Kellogg Foundation provides a grant for registered dietitians to earn master’s and doctoral degrees to teach in nutrition/dietetics programs.

1977

There are 15 degree programs in the College for Human Development and 138 students in its human nutrition program.

1980

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publish the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These are updated and released every five years. From 1980 to 1986, Syracuse University’s Department of Nutrition collaborated with Onondaga Community College’s College for Living program. Syracuse students from the Department of Nutrition and the Department of Special Education taught cooking skills to persons with disabilities. Syracuse University nutrition professor Victoria Thiele’s 2nd edition of Clinical Nutrition is published by C.V. Mosby Company. It is the textbook for her Diet in Disease course at Syracuse, which later evolves into Medical Nutrition Therapy.

1987

 Enrollment in the College for Human Development tops 1,000 students for the first time.

1988

The Lender Family Laboratory is dedicated in Slocum Hall at Syracuse University. Pictured are hospitality management students in the Lender Lab. The terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 takes the lives of 35 Syracuse University students returning from a semester of study in London, including two students from the College for Human Development.

1995

The Syracuse University dietetic internship program receives approval from the American Dietetic Association.

1998

From 1998 to 2003, Syracuse University Nutrition Counseling students provide nutrition counseling for the National Security Studies Executive Training participants. Today, students in the course continue to counsel clients using a lifestyles counseling approach.

1999

Nutrition faculty and students at Syracuse collaborate with the Food Bank of Central New York to deliver the CookShop program, which incorporates interesting, hands-on experience with nutritious foods, to elementary school children in and around the City of Syracuse.

2000

Syracuse University nutrition students form the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association (NEPA).

2001

The School of Social Work and College of Nursing, along with two departments in the College for Human Development, merge into a single, multi-disciplinary academic unit at Syracuse University specializing in human services and health professions. In 2001, the College of Human Services and Health Professions opens at the University. The didactic program in dietetics is approved.

2005

From 2005 to 2010, Syracuse graduate and undergraduate nutrition students provide nutrition education at Lion’s Camp Hickory, a summer camp for children with Type 1 diabetes. 16 Syracuse University’s Outreach and Group Nutrition Education by Wellness Responsible Advocating Peers (ORANGE WRAP) is established and begins to serve the campus and community.

2006

Nutrition and Hospitality Management move from Slocum Hall to Lyman Hall to accommodate more students and provide updated tools and equipment in two new kitchens. In the fall, an incoming class of 40 students joins over 200 already existing students anxiously awaiting their new facilities.

2007

The College of Human Services and Health Professions is renamed the College of Human Ecology. The following year, the Nutrition and Hospitality Management Department at Syracuse becomes Nutrition Science and Dietetics.

2011

The College of Human Ecology is renamed the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics with support from Syracuse University alumni, David Falk ’72 and Rhonda Falk ’74. The Falk Complex, former home of the College of Law, is dedicated in 2015.

2012

The American Dietetic Association is renamed the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

2015

Syracuse University Food Busters commences at Henninger High School, adding to existing nutrition programs Books and Cooks and Cooking on the Hillside initiated in 2010 and 2011, respectively, in which nutrition students deliver interactive nutrition education with children and adolescents from the Syracuse City School District. Pictured are scenes from these programs. That same year, Falk College dedicates the opening of the Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center, made possible by a gift from Syracuse University nutrition alumna, Rhoda Morrisroe ’69.

2016

Falk College dedicates the Susan R. Klenk Learning Café and Kitchens, including commercial and experimental kitchens, made possible by a gift from Syracuse University human development alumna, Susan Klenk ’62. Adding to its Florence study abroad program initiated in 2011, nutrition begins a study abroad program in India.

2018

Falk College welcomes supermodel and body image advocate, Emme ’85, as the featured guest for the Third Annual Ann Litt Distinguished Speaker Series, pictured here with Dean Diane Lyden Murphy, Susan Klenk and nutrition faculty. The Litt Lecture is named after nutrition alumna, the late Ann Selkowitz Litt ’75, a nationally known nutritionist who helped children and adolescents with eating disorders and assisted developing athletes in reaching their full potential.

Falk College hosts “Flavor and Savor” sodium reduction program

by Michele J. Barrett

The Syracuse community’s youngest citizens in childcare programs as well local school-aged and college students are the beneficiaries of Onondaga County Health Department and Falk College’s joint efforts aimed at reducing sodium. The Department of Health’s Healthy Communities Initiative was awarded a grant through the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) to reduce sodium for items prepared in childcare centers and school cafeterias, such as soups, sauces, and salad dressings.

Developing and leading the sessions were Falk culinary specialist, Chef Bill Collins, in collaboration with Roseanne Jones, a registered dietitian-nutritionist with the Health Department’s Bureau of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Collins teaches courses in Falk’s nutrition and food studies programs and is a professional chef who previously owned and operated restaurants. “Chef Collins helped participants think about all of the places sodium shows up in recipes and how to combat it,” says Jones. “The training helped participants build flavor into recipes without adding any salt.”

Using a simple hands-on approach, participants learned that with only minor adjustments, sodium content can be significantly lowered. “We helped participants understand the sodium content of pre-packaged foods and what approaches they can take to make their food healthier,” says Collins. During the session, Collins compared a store-bought barbeque sauce to one he served in his restaurants with 58 percent less sodium. “By changing two ingredients—no-salt added canned tomato and ketchup—the reduction jumped to 97 percent. Marinara sauce and salad dressings all had similar results,” notes Collins.

According to Jones, 25 percent of adults in Onondaga County have been diagnosed with hypertension. National estimates show there could be another 36 percent of people who go undiagnosed. “Changing sodium content in our pre-made foods and those from cafeterias and restaurants helps people reduce sodium intake without their even having to try,” says Jones.

When Falk College opened the Susan R. Klenk Café and Teaching Kitchens in 2016, the vision was to create a space that set the stage for industry-leading, forward-thinking approaches to food and nutrition that would benefit students as well as the community at-large. “Social responsibility in the community is a critical part of our mission,” says Falk Dean Diane Lyden Murphy. “This program is another example of how our experiential kitchens allow us to train future food and nutrition professionals to work effectively with the community.”

Photos in this section include: Class of 2018 dietetic interns Chelsea Kingsley and Maria Winkworth participate in Flavor and Savor training. Chef Collins and participants.

Thank you to our generous donors

Falk College gratefully acknowledges the following gifts recorded July 1, 2017 through June 12, 2018. Every effort is made to be as accurate as possible in reporting our donors’ generosity. If there is an error or omission, please contact us at 315.443.8989 or via email.

Gideon E. Asher and Catherine A. Meier-Asher

Catherine H. Bastian and Douglas W. Bastian

Phillip Levant Benton

Terry A. Bickhart and Kathy F. Bickhart

Kelly A. Boswell and John S. Boswell

Lynn S. Brann and Scott R. Brann

Kay Stearns Bruening

Joan M. Christy

Rochelle A. Clark and Barry A. Clark

Debra Z. Connolly and Steven M. Connolly

Teri L. Crisp

Jill L. Dayan

Kim C. Desmond and Chuck L. Desmond

Mary Ann Dowdell

Susan P. Downey

Maria B. Erdman and Scott Erdman

Joanne W. Ernst

Susan M. Fukes

Barbara S. Fulop and Robert Fulop

Tanya M. Horacek and Chris A. Horacek

M. Jane Kribs

Laurie B. Kirsch and Stephen H. Kirsch

Susan R. Klenk

Kin-Shing and Yin-Kam Li

Victoria R. Lounsbury

Rhonda A. Mona

Mary Lue Mueller

Susan L. Peverly

Barbara N. Reiss

Nancy D. Rindfuss and Donald P. Rindfuss

Philip Russo and Mary Russo

Arlene O. Sanoy and Michael Arvan

Lois A. Schroeder and Edward T. Schroeder

Colleen E. Sheehan

Jane V. Slabowski and H. Peter McCarthy

Donna Jeanne Sparkes

Constance E. Vickery

Margaret Althea Voss

Wendy Demark-Wahnefried and Gene A. Wahnefried

Catherine M. Zbieszkowski

Students 

Welcome to the Class of 2022 

Falk College is pleased to welcome 38 new students to Syracuse University’s nutrition programs, including first-year students studying nutrition (21) and nutrition science (17). Best of luck and welcome to the Class of 2022! 

Nutrition Honor Roll

Students maintaining > 3.4 GPA at the end of June 2018. Bold indicates students maintaining > 3.8 GPA. 

Nutrition BS 

2018 

Baylee Ann Carroll 

Lillian Jane Croll 

Elizabeth Lyndsey Eisnor 

Susan M. Fukes 

Stephanie D. Haber 

Umme Hassan 

Abigail Taylor Moore 

Katie Obojkovits 

Markell R. Reid 

Sydney Kendall Spiewak 

2019 

Emma Susan Asher 

Breeanna L. Beach 

Julianna Blake 

Kayla Chen 

Olivia A. Cullen 

Rachel Goldie Dragon 

Heather Marie Falise 

Heather Fredericks 

Elizabeth Helen Gardner 

Taylor Jordyn Garlow 

Lesly Gomez 

Marissa Gusmao 

April M. Hill 

Sydney Marie Hughes 

Elizabeth Ingerson 

Kristen Marie Jevis 

Emily Kathleen Kuettel 

Mary A. Mik 

Madeline Hayes Peck 

Clair L. Russell 

Holly Terpstra 

2020 

Emily Louise Gibbs 

Nicole Brianna Gray 

Sarah Elizabeth Lease 

Alicia Audrey Licari 

Lucy Pearce 

Danielle J. Robinson 

Jamie Rae Weisenberg 

Kelsie Wilson 

2021 

Nicole Antoinette Brennan 

Sydney Lauren Donner 

Judith E. Thomas 

Cecilia Eileen Tillson 

Nutrition Science BS 

2018 

Alyssa DeTogni 

Anthony Dean Dushane 

Xirui Song 

Sarah Elizabeth Walsh 

2019 

Jessica Bak 

Bridget Emily Clark 

Kristen El-Amir 

Bridget Amelia Frontale 

Tatiana Candace Inkeles 

Jacky Lin 

Yi Lyu 

Justin Pascual 

Carly Sheffer 

2020 

Mary Mackenzie Proud 

Eva Karoun Scott 

Mackenzie Lilan Swanson 

2021 

Alexandra Katherine Borza 

Jessica Lynn Neidel 

Haomou Pu 

Siera Shepard 

Thomas A. Sheridan 

Nutrition Science Graduate Students 

2018 

Katrina Dufresne 

Megan Christine Lowe 

Jacqueline Ann Misch 

Brittany Marie Rando 

Mariana Olga Serback 

Rachel Lauren Watkins 

2019 

Kara Lynne Andrews 

Kelly Catharine Brown 

Justyna Marie Dapuzzo 

Iris Jaquez 

Laura Elizabeth Kilburg 

Catherine Shamlian 

Jillian Lynn Wilson 

Alexandria Roman Yorke 

Perspectives from our Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics student liaisons 

The opportunity to be a student liaison to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (A.N.D.) is also an opportunity to serve all nutrition majors at Syracuse University. This year, Justin Pascual ’19 and Elizabeth Gardner ’20, were selected by A.N.D. to be the student liaisons representing Syracuse University. They are excited to represent Syracuse students and to share A.N.D. opportunities. In the spring, Gardner and Pascual administered a survey to all nutrition and nutrition science majors to gain a better understanding of their involvement with the Academy and how they are gaining volunteer experiences. The results showed that the student body is strongly interested in a variety of nutrition fields: clinical, sports, community, and functional nutrition. With this data, the liaisons hope to improve the volunteer and networking options available to nutrition/nutrition science majors and highlight some of the things A.N.D. has to offer pertaining to these fields at the student level. 

This upcoming fall, the liaisons are planning presentations, activities, and information sessions to help get students excited and involved with A.N.D., and to become more connected with fellow nutrition students. Additionally, by having student advocates to communicate between groups collectively, our students can voice interests and concerns for the Academy’s careful consideration. Pascual and Gardner look forward to growing Syracuse University’s student involvement in A.N.D. Finally, with scholarships, job opportunities, networking, and information available, the Academy truly is a wealth of knowledge and opportunity for all its student members and the student liaisons aim to expose all our fellow students to as many A.N.D. benefits as possible. 

Mediterranean Food and Culture 2018

by Tanya Horacek, Ph.D., R.D.

This year’s program was the tenth short–term Mediterranean Food and Culture experience I’ve run since 2011. Three days in Maremma (southern part of Tuscany), five days at the argriturismo La Ginestra, and four days in Florence rounded out the two-week trip. This year, we were fortunate to have Antonella Battaglia, S.U. Florence Italian teacher and friend, as the co-adult/translator for the full trip. With Antonella, we had the benefit of a local view and interpretation of Italian culture.

The trip maintained the tried and true experiences such as: working with the bees; making pizza with spelt flour, an antique grain, and; black truffle hunting with trained dogs, and then preparing and enjoying our spoils. We also thoroughly enjoyed the many wonderful local/sustainable Tuscan meals made by Natalie and Lorenzo and/or Lidia at La Ginestra. We visited the small artisanal producers for pasta, Pastificco Fabbri, pecorini cheese, Corzano and Paterno, and cooked two meals with Jacopo, once at his home in Montespertoli and the other at S.U. Florence. In Montespertoli, we visited the Wine Museum, a grain mill and Guido Guillani’s podere for wine tasting. In Florence, we tried Lamprodetto (sheep intestine meat—a real delicacy) at the famous Nerbone; made gelato at Perche No!, and; had guided tours of the city and the Ufizzi.

In Maremma, we visited the award-winning olive press, Frantoio Franci, and a biodynamic organic farm, La Salve. We had meals at two slow food restaurants, Antica Fattoria del Grottaione Montenero d’Orcia and La Dogana, and ate Italian style barbeque at La Buttera. We also tasted fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese at our tour of Caseficio Inno al Sole in Maremma. The facility was completely sustainable. In Parco Maremma, we road bikes to and enjoyed the beach for a day. Also new this year, we stopped in the beautiful Pitigliano and visited the famous antique Jewish bakery, Forno del Ghetto.

Justin Pascual, a junior nutrition science student, notes, “during our first night stay at La Ginestra, I had what most would call an ‘ah ha’ moment. This awakening came by way of the simple, yet complex, fried sage leaf. The chef treated this sage with a light-handed touch full of passion and respect for both the process and the product. This has inspired me to reevaluate my personal approach to food preparation. I rush this process and that is not the type of relationship I want to have with my food.”

Alumna Maria Mahar, M.A., R.D. adds, “cooking with Jacopo taught me the culinary techniques I have always wanted to learn. Learning his philosophy regarding the slow food movement continues to reinforce my goal to incorporate this philosophy at home.”

Next year, the class leading up to the trip will be online, and experiences in Modena with balsamic vinegar and the bologna food scene will be added. We would love to have alumni join us May 15-May 28, 2019. For more information, email Tanya Horacek.

Nutrition Science and Dietetics 2018 Department Awards

Emily Gere Coon Award, Sarah Genevieve Koutana

Faculty Award for Excellence in Nutrition Science, Jacky Lin

Florence B. Potter Memorial Award, BreeAnna L. Beach

Marjorie V. Dibble Scholarship Award, Kelsie Wilson

Nutrition Science and Dietetics Graduate Research Award, Heather Ann Brubaker

Nutrition Science and Dietetics Research Award - Undergraduate (H.E.A.C. Group), Baylee Ann Carroll, Elizabeth Helen Gardner, April M. Hill, Sarah Margaret Mihalko, Katie Obojkovits, Madeline Hayes Peck

Outstanding Dietetic Intern - Director’s Award, Mary Catherine Timmons

Outstanding Graduate Assistant in Nutrition Science Award, Mariana Olga Serback

Outstanding Graduate Student in Nutrition Science Award, Katrina Dufresne

Peer Leader in Nutrition Science and Dietetics Award, Baylee Ann Carroll

Ruth Tolley Award - Women of the University Community, Holly Terpstra

Selleck Award, Xirui Song

Susan J. Crockett Prize for Student Leadership, Susan M. Fukes

Vershann Icem-Wright Professional Promise in Nutrition Science and Dietetics Award, Katie Obojkovits

Victoria F. Thiele Scholarship Award, April M. Hill

Victoria Li Scholarship Award, Elizabeth Lyndsey Eisnor

College Marshal, Stephanie D. Haber

Department Marshal - Undergraduate (Nutrition), Katie Obojkovits

Department Marshal - Undergraduate (Nutrition Science), Sarah Elizabeth Walsh

Department Marshal - Graduate (Nutrition Science), Heather Ann Brubaker

Falk College Scholar, Abigail Taylor Moore

Graduate School Master’s Prize, Heather Ann Brubaker

Falk College Student Research Award, Natasha Jackson

Susan Klenk Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Scholarship, Sydney Marie Hughes, Mary A. Mik, Jamie Rae Weisenberg

2018-19 Syracuse University Remembrance Scholar, Mary A. Mik

Congratulations nutrition science graduates

Many nutrition science graduates from the past two years applied for allied health programs after gaining work experience and completing clinical hours during their gap year. New applications this cycle included former students applying to P.A. programs (2), M.D. programs (5), M.S. in nutrition (2), Ph.D. programs (1), dental school (1), N.D. programs (doctor of naturopathy, 1), and accelerated nursing programs (4). We wish them luck in their academic endeavors!

Caroline Cady: Will begin Utica College Accelerated Nursing Program at Crouse.

Alyssa DeTogni: Applications for physician assistant programs are submitted. She will be working as a clinical information manager/medical scribe in the Emergency Department at Newton Medical Center, Newton, New Jersey, during her gap year.

Anthony Dushane: Applications for physician assistant programs are submitted. He will be working as a medical assistant at Housel Dermatology P.C., Liverpool, New York, during his gap year.

Elizabeth Ogundare: Applying to SUNY Downstate’s M.P.H. program. She will be working at the SUNY Downstate Comprehensive Epilepsy Research Center. Brooke Peterson Working as a medical assistant during gap year. Brooke will be applying to physician assistant programs in the future.

Xirui Song: Will begin her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology at Duke University in the fall.

Sarah Walsh: Will be attending the Indiana University School of Optometry in the fall.

Master’s students updates

A’Keema Austin (M.A.): Completed the Syracuse University Dietetic Internship and is preparing to take the R.D. exam.

Heather Brubaker (M.S.): Syracuse University Dietetic Internship

Elaine Carey (M.A.): Returning to Ireland to pursue a Higher Diploma in Applied Sciences.

Katrina Dufresne (M.A.): Duke University Dietetic Internship

Meg Lowe (M.A.): Employed as a sustainability coordinator at Syracuse University.

Jacqueline Misch (M.A.): Syracuse University Dietetic Internship

Brittany Rando (M.A.): The Sage Colleges Dietetic Internship

Mariana Serback (M.S.): Syracuse University Dietetic Internship

Master’s thesis projects

Heather Brubaker, Understanding Vegetable Feeding Practices Among Families With Young Children Using Farmers’ Market Coupon Programs: Does Participation Increase Children’s Vegetable Consumption? Advisor: Dr. Lynn Brann

Mariana Serback, Prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa Tendencies in the U.S. Didactic Program in Dietetics Students. Advisor: Dr. Lynn Brann

Dietetic intern teams focus on health promotion for Syracuse populations

by Jennifer Wilkins, Ph.D., R.D.

To strengthen competency in outcomes management (our D.I. concentration) interns focused on three neighborhoods in Syracuse. In teams, these participatory program planning projects were developed during the spring semester with input from key informants and community leaders in Syracuse.

The target population A’Keema Austin, Caroline Check, and Stella Chu chose was low-income African American women on Syracuse’s south side. The health issue, heart disease, stemmed from data showing a significantly greater risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease in this population than women of other races and ethnicities. The program objectives were to increase fruit and vegetable intake, reduce intake of high fat foods, reduce intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, reduce intake of processed food, and increase physical activity. In response to participant interests, the intervention included a nutrition education series with skill-building for choosing, preparing, and cooking fruits and vegetables. Environmental changes included plans for development of community gardens in five city parks of the Syracuse south side neighborhood.

Chelsea Kingsley, Rosemary Squires, Mitchell VanGelder and Maria Winkworth focused on food insecurity and heart disease among low-income seniors living in northeast Syracuse. The targeted diet changes of this program were to increase fiber-rich foods and increase selection of nutrient-dense options from the Syracuse Northeast Community Center Food Pantry. The intervention included nutrition education, food pantry signage, and community garden promotion among the seniors. The theoretical base for this program was the health belief model and evaluation included change in participant knowledge, diet quality, lifestyle choices and quality of life indicators.

Laura Brown, Miranda McConnell and Mary Timmons developed a program for the adolescent members of the fastest growing refugee population in Syracuse: Somalis fleeing civil war and violence in countries along the eastern coast of Africa. They found that many Somali refugees live on Syracuse’s North side, experience food insecurity, and have a high prevalence of diabetes. With poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity as risk factors for diabetes, their program objectives were to increase fruit and vegetable intake and reduce fast food intake among Somali adolescent refugees. Self-efficacy from the the social cognitive theory was a key construct for the program promoting healthy eating among adolescents. The intervention plan included a six-week summer nutrition education program incorporating an interactive farmers market, cooking classes, and convenience store walkthroughs. Policy, systems and environmental strategies, such as marketing and selling produce at corner stores, would improve fruit and vegetable access in stores and nutrition education at Syracuse RISE, a refugee organization.

Dietetic internship activities

Dietetic interns Miranda McConnell G ’17, Rosemary Squires, Mitchell VanGelder, and Maria Winkworth ’17 were selected to attend the first Dietetic Interns Leadership Summit sponsored by the New York Beef Council last October. The program was developed with a national beef council grant to S.U. alumna, Cindy Chan Phillips G’11, the nutrition educator for the New York Beef Council. Interns visited two beef farms and a processing facility. The program’s media interview training included an on-camera interview of each intern about a recent research publication with individualized feedback. For the culinary part of the program, the interns worked with a student from the Culinary Arts Program from Finger Lakes Community College for a true farm-to-table experience, preparing a delicious, nutritious, and attractive meal at the Finger Lakes Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, New York. Our interns joined interns from D’Youville College, the University of Buffalo, Oneonta State, Buffalo State College, and The Sage Colleges. S.U. nutrition alum Annalisse Baker ’17, a dietetic intern at Sage, was also selected for this program.

The dietetic interns visited Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York in early October where S.U. nutrition alumna Theresa Shepherd, R.D., gave an overview of the medical nutrition therapy offered to oncology outpatients and a tour of their state-of-the-art facility. Theresa is a board certified specialist in oncology nutrition.

In November, Susan Branning, clinical nutrition manager at St. Joseph’s Hospital Medical Center in Syracuse, gave a guest lecture on legislative activities in dietetics, and specifically, the bill to license dietitian-nutritionists in New York State. A review of the bill, line-by-line, followed with Dorothy Wrase-Hares, M.A., R.D.N., in preparation for a visit to Assemblyman Magnarelli’s office to advocate for the bill. Two of this year’s interns are from states other than New York and that have licensure of nutrition professionals, so they were able to provide a comparison with credentialing in other states.

The dietetic interns partnered with R.D. diabetes educators Pam Blackmer G’85 and Maureen Franklin ’76 of the Joslin Diabetes Center at Upstate Medical University for a national diabetes month program. The theme was superfoods for diabetes. Since the event was held at the Community Campus of Upstate Medical University, which does not have food demonstration facilities, the interns created and recorded food demonstrations in the ACE Center that were shown to the group on the night of the event. The recipes they demonstrated included turkey meatballs with zucchini noodles, kale and quinoa salad, brown sugar and black peppercorn salmon, and garlic greens and beans. The interns also created table exhibits for approximately 200 attendees.

D.I. Class of 2018

A’Keema Austin, seeking employment.

Laura Brown, R.D., employment in long-term care at Loretto, Syracuse, New York.

Caroline Check, seeking employment; accepted to the Nutrition Science M.A. program at Syracuse University starting Fall 2018.

Stella Chu, R.D., employed at James Square Chelsea Kingsley Employment in long-term care at Samaritan Summit Village, Watertown, New York.

Miranda McConnell, R.D., employed at Commons on St. Anthony, Auburn.

Rosemary Squires, R.D., employed in long-term care at VanDuyn.

Mary Timmons, R.D., passed the R.D. exam; seeking employment.

Mitchell VanGelder, R.D., seeking employment.

Maria Winkworth, seeking employment.

D.I. Class of 2019

We matched 12 in the first round and filled to our maximum enrollment. Eight interns are from Syracuse University and four are from other schools. Nikki Beckwith, dietetic internship director, will receive Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam training from the Commission on Dietetic Registration to incorporate into the dietetic internship curriculum and meet the required competency. The program will utilize over 10 new or resurrected rotation sites next year to offer increased opportunities for our interns.

D.P.D. updates

This April, we had 17 of our 19 (undergraduate and graduate) students receive a successful match to a dietetic internship. Our match rate this year was 89 percent and we are very proud of the applicants. This is considerably higher than the national match rate of 62 percent. The national match rate increased from 56 percent the previous year most likely related to a 13 percent increase in internship positions and a 2 percent decrease in overall applicants. A total of 4,700 students applied to internships throughout the U.S. this spring. The match process occurs twice per year (fall and spring), but the spring match period has the largest pool of internship options for the students. All of the students were placed in a dietetic internship located on the east coast. Six of the students will continue in our own dietetic internship at Syracuse University. Some of these programs are combined with a master’s degree. The programs have a variety of concentrations such as Medical Nutrition Therapy, Public Health or Communications to name a few. Many students attended open houses and had formal in-person or remote interviews (Skype, phone) as part of the selection process.

Nadeen Alqallaf, plans to work in hospital as nutrition assistant.

Heather Brubaker (Grad), Syracuse University.

Baylee Carroll, Geisinger Medical Center.

Kathryn Cosco, plans to go to nursing school.

Lillian Croll, plans to apply to graduate school.

Christine Decker, apply to law school.

Kristina Didio, Syracuse University.

Katrina Dufresne (Grad), Duke University Hospital.

Elizabeth Eisnor, Queens.

Susan Fukes, Syracuse University.

Stephanie Haber, West Virginia University Hospital.

Umme Hassan, Long Island University.

Jaleh Kermani, plans to apply for D.I.

Rylee Lease, University of New Hampshire.

Jacqueline Misch (Grad), Syracuse University.

Abigail Moore, Emory University Hospital.

Katie Obojkovits, Stony Brook University.

Colleen Oriani, applied to graduate school for education.

Brittany Rando (Grad), The Sage Colleges.

Markell Reid, Syracuse University.

Christine Santella, Syracuse University.

Sydney Spiewak, University of St. Joseph.

Kristen Sportello, The Sage Colleges.

Shanni Yeffet, Considering graduate school.

Through last summer and fall, we have been busy adjusting our curriculum within the Nutrition program to meet the new 2017 ACEND Standards. The process started with a full peer review of the syllabi, identification of the Knowledge Requirements (K.R.D.N.’s) within classes and eventual curriculum matrix to ensure that all knowledge requirements were adequately covered. Our process also included identifying student learning outcomes that are collected at the end of each year. 

Starting in January 2024, a master’s degree will be required to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (R.D.N.). Our program is currently reviewing our options in terms of educational pathways. A new model for education in nutrition and dietetics is being offered by the ACEND Standards Committee, which is called the Future Education Model. The purpose of this model is to advance the profession and continue to protect the public. The ACEND Board has released accreditation standards for the associate, bachelor and graduate levels. Our program is currently reviewing our options in meeting the needs of future students with this education model.

During 2017, 95 percent of our students passed the R.D. credentialing exam within one year of their first attempt. This could include taking the exam more than once. For those that took the exam for the first time, 77 percent of the students passed.

We would like to be able to stay in contact with our alumni through social media. We are currently looking at the best platforms to use, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. If you have any thoughts on the best way to stay connected and/or would like to help us develop these efforts, please email Nancy Rindfuss.

ORANGE WRAP nutrition education continues

Outreach and Nutrition Group Education by Wellness and Responsibility Advocating Peers (ORANGE WRAP) was created in the Fall of 2005 as part of the Healthy Campus Initiative to provide nutrition education to students across campus and the Syracuse community. ORANGE WRAP student educators are junior, senior, and graduate nutrition majors who are trained and supervised by a registered dietitian. This year, Nancy Rindfuss ’92, D.P.D. director, is coordinating the students’ efforts. Their mission is to promote pleasurable and in-tune eating, the adoption of nutrition guidelines for good health, and the prevention of eating disorders. They provide a non-diet approach to nutrition and wellness. Since graduation this May, we have been busy coordinating two events with students who live locally. The first was a cooking demonstration and nutrition education class to a Home Care Agency called Self-Direct located in Baldwinsville, New York. There were 10 participants with traumatic brain injuries. Three students developed and implemented a food demonstration with the skills they had learned in their Practice of Dietetics class. The students created a procurement list, cooked part of the recipes for the participants to taste the day before, and demonstrated how to prepare the recipes to their audience. They provided education using the new food label and showed them simple ways to make recipes healthier. The students gained a lot of experience and were able to take their knowledge from the classroom and apply it in the real world. For all of them, it was their first time answering questions about nutrition such as “what is fiber?” and “what is flaxseed?” This was a rewarding day for the students as they began to use their knowledge of food to connect with participants. The second event was a Wellness Event at Roxboro Elementary School in Mattydale, New York. Five students planned their topic on healthy snacking using the new food label, food packages, and an interactive poster that helped participants identify snacks using a stoplight theme: red, yellow, and green.

The students interacted with elementary-aged children and their families. The students felt empowered after the session as they reported that parents had commented that they learned new ideas about nutrition from the students such as fat and sodium content of common foods.

Future plans this fall include potentially collaborating with Syracuse University’s Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at the Maxwell School to implement dining hall taste tests for “Meatless Mondays,” Upstate Hospital’s Employee Wellness Program, and Syracuse University Day Care Center to provide nutrition education for preschool-aged children. Students learn many skills when working with groups of people such as communication skills, time management, and interpersonal skills. All of these experiences help prepare them before applying to a dietetic internship.

Inter-professional education for dietitians: A graduate seminar

by Sudha Raj, Ph.D., R.D., F.A.N.D.

In Spring 2018, first-year graduate students in nutrition science explored the topic of inter-professional education and practice (I.P.E.). The major impetus for selecting this topic included the recent position paper by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on the growing relevance of collaborative patient/client-centered care in the current health care environment and the Academy’s 2017 Visioning Report. The Visioning Report outlined the updated education and credentialing requirements for nutrition professionals based on societal and future health care needs identified by ten focus areas. One focus area highlighted the need for training collaborative-ready dietetic professionals who can bring their discipline-specific knowledge and medical nutrition expertise to work synergistically with other health care professionals as well as patients/clients and their families to prevent and treat chronic diseases across the lifespan.

A combination of didactic, in-class discussion, guest lectures, experiential learning, discussion and reflection assignments was used to improve students’ ability to effectively function as part of a collaborative health care team. Guest lectures were selected to increase students’ awareness about the range of inter-professional activities that occur in nutrition and dietetics practice. Guest speakers included the director of inter-professional education at Upstate Medical University, the University dietitian and a chef instructor, a nurse practitioner and registered dietitian from Boston Children’s Hospital who highlighted the team work that is involved in caring for children with epilepsy; a registered dietitian who shared her cultural immersion experience of implementing the ketogenic diet in Zambia; a faculty member who developed the North East Regional Food Guide and provided perspective on the inter-professional role of the dietitian in policy development and advocacy, and; a public health faculty member who spoke to the importance of the sociological determinants of health in the context of neighborhood violence. We also had the opportunity to interact with the Upstate Medical University’s I.P.E. team in two discussion sessions related to neighborhood violence, social determinants of health, and refugee health. During these sessions students listened to presentations by community members on socio-cultural issues that impact health care accessibility, affordability, and clinical outcomes. This was followed by breakout sessions where students interacted and worked on problem solving in small groups.

Students indicated that their attendance and inclusion at Upstate Medical University’s I.P.E. discussion sessions encouraged the exchange of views and experiences of fellow health care professionals as well as highlighted social issues that they would normally not have related to their profession. Each student interviewed a health care professional of their choice and learned more about their roles and responsibilities and scope of practice within the health care team. A final assignment entailed students presenting the roles, responsibilities and scope of practice of the registered dietitian /nutritionist within the health care team to other health care professionals at Upstate Medical University.

With lessons from this course in hand, students have been trained to become empathic, collaborative professionals who can provide team-based care in a variety of settings. 

MaryAnn Shaw Center for Public and Community Service Nutrition Initiative

The Nutrition Initiative is a reciprocal learning and community engagement opportunity for Syracuse University students. The focus is to inspire and educate elementary and high school students about health and nutrition. This Initiative is composed of three separate programs customized for different age groups within the Syracuse City School District (S.C.S.D.). The initiative began in 2010 when Books & Cooks was developed by Syracuse University students majoring in nutrition at Falk College and Shaw Center interns. The program was honored as a “Commitment to Action” with the Clinton Global Initiative University (C.G.I.-U.), an annual conference held by President Bill Clinton that recognizes university students worldwide committed to changing the world. The program won an Outstanding Commitment to Action Award, and the students were invited to the 2010 conference to present their idea to potential funders. The program received funding through the Wal-Mart Foundation, and since its inception, the Nutrition Initiative has grown to include two additional programs: Cooking on the Hillside (2011) and Food Busters (2014).

Books & Cooks

The mission of Books & Cooks is to inspire and educate elementary school students to make healthy, nutritious food choices. The program focuses on three components: literacy, nutrition, and food preparation. Recipes are framed with cultural references, and focus on a variety of countries and areas of nutrition. Age-appropriate literacy activities (crossword puzzles, mystery worksheets, and word matching games) introduce the weekly topic. Eight lessons are implemented during the academic year.

For the 2017-18 school year, Elizabeth Gardner ’20 assumed the role of nutrition volunteer coordinator with the help of Markell Reid ’18 as the nutrition literacy coordinator. Additionally, the program began a new partnership at Dr. Weeks Elementary School working with Mr. Hanley’s fifth grade class. In the fall, students learned about the different sections of MyPlate and different countries around the world. Each week a different country was paired with a different MyPlate concept. The students learned about Japan and an overview of MyPlate, Honduras and plant-based proteins, Greece and dairy, India and fruits and vegetables, and Spain and grains. Seven nutrition major volunteers worked with 25 students in Mr. Hanley’s class. The five lessons went smoothly, and some students even relayed that they were making some of the recipes attempted in class at home with their families! In the spring, volunteer numbers increased to nine students working with the same fifth grade class of 25. The lessons focused on island cultures and went over various nutrition topics: Puerto Rico and a welcome back to Books & Cooks, England and drink choices, and New Zealand and the digestive system. Inclement weather in the spring lead to a decrease in the number of programs completed. With the support of the Mary Ann Shaw Center and Falk College, Books & Cooks is looking forward to growing and improving in the coming year. Dr. Tanya Horacek continues as its faculty advisor.

Cooking on the Hillside

The mission of Cooking of the Hillside is to inspire and educate high school students to make healthy, nutritious food choices. The program focuses on three components: nutrition, food preparation, and food safety skills. Recipes were framed around topics of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats). Twelve lessons were implemented during the academic year. The Cooking on the Hillside volunteer team of six volunteers engages approximately 15 Syracuse high school students (ages 14-19) in an after-school program at Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection. Late in April, the group came to the Syracuse University campus for a tour and demonstration in the Nutrition Assessment Counseling and Education Center (ACE). This year, Elizabeth Eisnor ‘18 was the nutrition volunteer coordinator, while Dr. Kay Bruening continues as its faculty advisor.

Food Busters

The mission of Food Busters is to engage Henninger High School students in hands-on STEM-focused lessons that explore the relationships between food, nutrition, health, and media. The program increases student literacy, mathematics and science comprehension. Syracuse University student volunteers work in groups to build relationships with 22 high school students in the ninth grade (ages 14-15), and to perform food science experiments. Seven lessons are implemented during the academic year by eight volunteers. Kristina Didio ‘18 was the nutrition volunteer coordinator for this program. Dr. Margaret Voss continues as faculty advisor. The creation of Food Busters stemmed from The Shaw Center interns’ submission to the Clinton Global Initiative’s challenge to improve literacy skills and public health awareness. Shaw Center nutrition volunteer coordinators developed the idea in 2014, following the established program model for Books & Cooks. At the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative University Conference, Food Busters was recognized as a “Commitment to Action” program for excellence.

The Nutrition Initiative by the numbers

During the 2017-18 academic year:

• Three nutrition programs provided education to the 61 S.C.S.D. students.

• Four nutrition interns worked for 1,200 hours to manage three programs.

• Twenty-eight nutrition volunteers provided over 960 hours of academic engagement to S.C.S.D.

• Nutrition interns and volunteers reinforced academic knowledge through a reciprocal learning environment by creating age-appropriate lessons for S.C.S.D. students.

Nutrition Initiative fast facts The Nutrition Initiative:

• Enhances student learning through academic engagement opportunities in which students apply knowledge, skills, and values in diverse community settings that address global issues and complex societal problems.

• Fosters reciprocal and generative community partnerships for intercultural and ethical learning that collaboratively address community needs and meet institutionally defined goals.

• Enhances the S.U. student experience by developing leadership opportunities through internships, community engagement, center initiatives, literacy programs, and consultation.

• Promotes a culture of innovation and discovery through real-world engagement that addresses unscripted, complex community issues and partner expectations.

• Supports interdisciplinary collaboration with community partners for faculty research and creative activity that address emerging opportunities and societal needs.

• Provides S.C.S.D. students with college-age role models intended to increase retention and the high school graduation rate.

• Assists S.C.S.D. teachers by providing fun and stimulating educational activities that are aligned with the classroom curriculum to reinforce learning objectives.

Volunteer service, networking highlight NEPA’s current, future activities

The Nutrition Education and Promotion Association (NEPA) is a student-run nutrition organization that makes nutrition accessible to the student body, Syracuse University, and the community through delivering nutrition information, volunteerism, and a social media presence. NEPA had a successful year both on campus and in the broader Syracuse community. NEPA members routinely volunteered at the Syracuse Rescue Mission, a soup kitchen for Syracuse residents in need. In November, NEPA helped promote Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week by tabling in the Schine Student Center to collect both monetary and food donations for the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry. In addition to tabling and volunteering in the community, the biggest event of the year is an annual lecture by a renowned registered dietitian.

Falk College and NEPA hosted the esteemed author and private practice dietitian, Tanya Zuckerbrot, in April. Each spring the NEPA E-board selects a speaker and plans and implements the speaking program. Baylee Carroll ’18, NEPA’s president, did an outstanding job with the support of her E-board arranging for this event along with NEPA advisor, Jane Uzcategui.

Tanya has a master’s degree in nutrition and food Studies from N.Y.U., and has certificates in both adult and childhood and adolescent weight management. She is a member of both the National Association of Professional Women and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In her presentation, Tanya shared her path to success as a private practice practitioner in New York City. She provided valuable insight into how to be a successful business owner using her dietetics credentials to provide evidence-based recommendations to her clients. In addition to her knowledge, Tanya provided key messages in a very practical and engaging manner that had a crowd of over 100 at the edge of their seats.

Looking towards the future, NEPA has plans to work with the Food Recovery Network, which fights food waste and hunger by redistributing food from dining halls to local shelters. There are also plans to maintain a closer relationship with the Central New York Dietetic Association to further networking opportunities and participation in C.N.Y.D.A. sponsored events. Following the success of this past year, NEPA looks forward to the upcoming school year with a new executive board and new campus partnerships.

This section includes a photo of NEPA E-board members Lesly Gomez ’18 (Secretary), Lillian Croll ’18 (Social Media), Baylee Carroll ’18 (President), Tanya Zuckerbrot (NEPA featured speaker), Taylor Garlow ’19 (Volunteer Coordinator), Julianna Blake ’19 (Vice President), Andrea French ’19 (Treasurer) missing.

Student highlights

Heather Brubaker presented her thesis research at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. in July. She is pictured with Professor Brann who was her thesis advisor and co-author on the research poster entitled, “Understanding Vegetable Feeding Practices Among Families With Young Children: Does Using Farmers’ Market Coupons Increase Children’s Vegetable Consumption?”

Anthony Dushane ’18 and Xirui Song ’18 were inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. This was quite an accomplishment as only 60 graduating Syracuse University students met the criteria for induction this year.

April Hill ’20 secured a paid two-month internship at Iowa State University: Cyclone Scholars Summer Research Experience, Summer 2018. She worked on revising the living with diabetes standards to be more culturally competent and better address the specialized needs of black men. The living with diabetes curriculum is a four-week course meant to prevent or help manage diabetes, but its applicability in non-white communities has been disappointing. Her revisions include things like altering or compiling culturally-competent recipes, creating teaching materials that can be used to disseminate the information, and revising the actual curriculum that is taught to participants. This work is in response to focus groups that Iowa State completed, and it is the second revision to the curriculum (the first revision being a curriculum for Latinos that was created by a graduate student a few years ago).

Nutrition students spend summer break gaining experience

Bridget Clark, 2019 (B.S.), Research assistant, Iowa State University.

Elizabeth Gardner, 2020 (B.S.), Benefit design and delivery intern, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Marissa Gusmao, 2019 (B.S.), Intern, Open Kitchens.

Marissa Gusmao, 2019 (B.S.), Research intern, University of Illinois Chicago / Nutrition Department.

April Hill, 2020 (B.S.), Cyclone Scholars summer research experience, Iowa State University.

Emily Kuettel, 2019 (B.S.), Research intern, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Christine Santella, 2018 (B.S.) / 2019 (D.I.), Temp summer nutrition educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga.

Faculty and Staff

Conference publications

Brubaker H, Brann L. Understanding the vegetable feeding practices among families with young children using farmers’ market coupon programs. Selected Poster Presentation at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. July, 2018.

Riggsbee K, Colby S, Kidd T, Brown O, White A, Horacek T, Olfert M, Mathews A, Kattelmann K, Shelnutt K, Franzen-Castle L, Greene G, Morrell J, Sowers M, Zhou W, Allison C, Barr M, Mosby T, Vilaro M, Wangcheng Yan W. Development and Pilot Testing of A Community Based Participatory Research Obesity Prevention Program on College Campuses. Society for Nutrition Education Minneapolis, Minnesota. July, 2018.

Colby SE, Mathews A, Olfert MD, Kattelmann K, Kidd T, White A, Horacek T, Morrell J, Franzen-Castle L, Greene G, Byrd-Bredbenner C, Zhou W, Brown O, Shelnutt K. A Social Marketing and Environmental Change Intervention: Get Fruved Years 01-04. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Meeting Minnesota, Minnesota. July 2018.

Sriram KA, Barr ML, Colby SE, Mathews AE, Riggsbee K, Horacek T, Mosby T, Zhou W, Olfert MD Vegetarian College Student Lifestyle and Environmental Choices. American Society of Nutrition Boston, Massachusetts. June, 2018.

Vilaro M, Horacek T, et al. Food choice priorities predict fruit and vegetable intake among college freshmen enrolled in the Get Fruved study. American Public Health Association meeting Atlanta, Georgia. November, 2017.

Simon M and Horacek T. Intuitive Eating Practices and Attitudes of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo Chicago, Illinois. October, 2017.J Academy of Nut and Diet;117(10): A131 D.O.I.

El Zein A, Horacek T, et al. Sociodemographic Predictors and Correlates of Food Insecurity among College First Year Students. Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo Chicago, Illinois. October, 2017. J Academy of Nut and Diet;117(10): A146 D.O.I.

Shin D, Lee KW, Brann L, Shivappa N, Hébert JR. A dietary inflammatory index is associated with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in Korean adults: the 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Oral presentation at Advancing Nutritional Epidemiology with Public Use and Commercial Data Sets session. Nutrition 2018 - American Society for Nutrition’s Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts. June, 2018.

Lee KW, Shin D. Night eating is associated with an increased risk of depression and depressive symptoms in Korean adults. Poster presentation at Nutritional Epidemiology session. Nutrition 2018 - American Society for Nutrition’s Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts. June, 2018. 

Lee KW, Shin D. The influence of weight status on the association between night eating and sleep duration of Korean adults. Poster presentation at Nutritional Epidemiology session. Nutrition 2018 - American Society for Nutrition’s Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts. June, 2018.