PhD in Population Health Sciences

Nutrition (NUT)

CV-system-and-produce_512-by-300Students in this field of study will be affiliated with the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The Department of Nutrition seeks to improve human health by conducting research on enhancing nutrition. The department strives to accomplish this goal through research aimed at improved understanding of how diet influences health, the dissemination of new knowledge about nutrition to health professionals and the public, the development and evaluation of nutritional strategies, and the education of researchers and practitioners.

What are the Areas of Specialization within this Field of Study?

  • Nutritional Epidemiology: this area provides rigorous training in the biological aspects of nutrition, epidemiology, biostatistics and select related disciplines.  The overall objective is to enable students to investigate relationships between diet and disease.
  • Public Health Nutrition: this area focuses on combining principles and practices from nutrition and social and behavioral science to develop, implement and evaluate programs and policies that promote optimal nutrition and population health and well-being. Students will be skilled in quantitative and qualitative methods, program development and evaluation, health disparities, health behavior change and health policy.

What research competencies and skills will students develop?

  • Nutritional Epidemiology
    • Acquire detailed knowledge regarding the biological basis of nutrition and the mechanisms by which diet can influence health. This includes a basic understanding of metabolism, physiology, and molecular genetics;
    • Develop quantitative skills required for the evaluation of diet and disease relationships in epidemiologic studies;
    • Attain skills in developing research proposals for the study of diet and disease. This requires the integration of knowledge about human nutrition with epidemiologic concepts;
    • To develop skills in the oral and written communication of scientific information.
  • Public Health Nutrition
    • Nutrition science and principles
    • Translation of science into practice
    • Analytic skills and research methods
    • Policy and leadership
    • Cultural competency

Who are the faculty in the department associated with this Field of Study?

Information on the faculty in the Department of Nutrition.

Who is the departmental contact from whom more information about doctoral training in this Field of Study may be sought?

Stefanie Dean, Nutrition, Academic and Educational Project Coordinator, tel: 617-432-1528

What are the required courses for this Field of Study?

Required courses for the Nutrition Field of Study

More information on the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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