September 16, 2024 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
“The University of South Carolina has a strong reputation for our nutrition research – both nationally and internationally, and we are considered thought leaders and experts in many different areas of this field,” says Christine Blake, associate professor of health promotion, education, and behavior and director for the Nutrition Consortium.
In fiscal year 2023-2024, over 20 nutrition faculty affiliates were engaged in 35 different nutrition-related projects supported by $47 million in grant funding. During this same time period, Nutrition Consortium affiliates published 158 peer-reviewed papers, presented at numerous meetings and conferences, and engaged more than 900 students in nutrition-related courses. At Nutrition 2024 – the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting – USC co-authors contributed 22 oral and poster presentations – possibly the largest representation of any university in attendance.
The interdisciplinary nature of nutrition research lends itself to collaboration across numerous fields. At USC, scientists come together from public health, nursing, psychology, social work, retail, economics, student health, medicine, computer science, engineering, and earth and ocean sciences. Focus areas include food security, dietary patterns, maternal, infant and child nutrition, food choice, obesity prevention, global nutrition, healthy aging, technology, food environments, chronic disease prevention/management and performance nutrition.
“Nutrition is key to some of the most pressing global social, physical and economic problems, and the Nutrition Consortium connects faculty, staff and students across the university who are engaged in high-quality nutrition research, teaching and service,” Blake says.
Without a formal nutrition department at USC, the Consortium serves as the home base for this work – a place to link nutrition researchers together. It also serves an important role outside the institution. As the coordinator and steward for events, committees, seminars and other collaborative activities, the Nutrition Consortium acts as an entrance to the abundant yet widely distributed nutrition research happening at USC.
“Not only does the Nutrition Consortium facilitate existing nutrition research, we’re also committed to sharing our existing strengths and synergies,” Blake says. “By being an institutional voice for nutrition at USC, we can foster new collaborations and provide vital support to grant applicants who need to show external funders what we do as a holistic group.”
Nandita Perumal, an epidemiology assistant professor, immediately became an affiliate of the Nutrition Consortium when she joined the Arnold School in 2023. She found resources and collaborators for her work examining the role of nutrition in perinatal outcomes of vulnerable populations in global settings.
“It’s been wonderful to get to know and be part of the interdisciplinary network of nutrition researchers across USC through the seminars, events, and symposium hosted by the Nutrition Consortium," Perumal says.
Angela Liese is an expert in public health nutrition as well as nutritional and diabetes epidemiology. The epidemiology professor served as director for the Consortium during its early years when it was known as the Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities.
“When I first joined USC, the expertise and infrastructure the Consortium (Center) offered was instrumental to getting my first grants submitted and awarded,” Liese says. “Over time, I’ve seen a wonderful expansion of the Consortium to involve our students. Their enthusiasm for nutrition research inspires me every day. What has not changed is the invaluable convening and information sharing function that the Consortium performs.”
The Consortium’s current roster of 50 faculty affiliates includes many long-time members as well as new researchers who join each year. This growth includes dozens of students and alumni, whose involvement is bolstered by student groups, research and practical experiences, and opportunities to attend and present at events like the Consortium’s Annual Nutrition Symposium.
“The future of nutrition is bright at USC,” Blake says. “Nutrition Consortium affiliates are committed to addressing ongoing nutrition related challenges at the local, state, national and international levels, and new training and research opportunities on the horizon.”
