MSU Denver Department of Nutrition

🎉 Congratulations to our Spring 2026 Nutrition Undergraduate & Graduate Students! 🎉

The Department of Nutrition is incredibly proud of all that you have accomplished throughout your academic journey. Your hard work, resilience, and passion for improving the health and well being of others have brought you to this exciting milestone.

As you begin the next chapter, we know you will continue making a meaningful impact in the field of nutrition and beyond. Congratulations on this amazing achievement, and best wishes for continued success in all that comes next!

Summer is here🌈

Wishing everyone a relaxing and well-deserved break after a busy semester. Enjoy the sunshine, take time to recharge, and we will see you in the fall!

☀️ ⛰️ 🌲 🥾 🌻 🍉

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Spring 2026 Nutrition Research Day such a success. 📊✨

Our undergraduate and graduate students did an excellent job showcasing their research, sharing their work, and engaging in thoughtful discussion throughout the event.

Thank you to our faculty, staff, judges, and attendees for supporting our students and celebrating their accomplishments. Events like this continue to highlight the strong research, collaboration, and learning community within the MSU Denver Department of Nutrition. 🌿

BCAL Spotlight: Celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

This month, we’re excited to highlight Kristin Hirano, MS, RD, CN, CD, a dietitian nutritionist and a BCAL Advisory Board Member, making an impact in gut health, metabolic health, and culturally informed care.

Kristin is the founder of JUST BETTER BRANDS, where she focuses on helping people better understand their bodies through a food-first approach by supporting gut health, blood sugar balance, and closing the fiber gap.

✨ What makes her work powerful?
As a Japanese American dietitian, she emphasizes that food is more than nutrients — it’s culture, identity, and belonging.

💬 Her approach to care centers on cultural humility — taking the time to understand a person’s background, traditions, and relationship with food before offering guidance.

👏 Kristin is helping push the field of nutrition to be more inclusive, representative, and culturally aware, reminding us that the best nutrition care meets people where they are.

🌟 BCAL Scholars Program Application Deadline Extended 🌟

There is still time to apply for the Becoming Culturally Aware Leaders (BCAL) Scholars Program‼️

MSU Denver’s Department of Nutrition, in collaboration with Social Work and Cal Poly Pomona, was awarded a $1.2 million USDA Hispanic Serving Institutions grant to launch the Becoming Culturally Aware Leaders (BCAL) Scholars Program.

This program supports underrepresented minority students in Nutrition and Dietetics to become culturally aware leaders and advocates for diversity, underserved communities, and policy change.

MSU Denver students will receive:
✨ A $5,000 scholarship
✨ Specialized leadership and advocacy training
Undergraduate students, graduate students, and dietetic interns are eligible.

Learn more and apply through the MSU Denver Department of Nutrition website.

Congratulations to our Spring 2026 Nutrition Research Day poster winners! 🏆🎉

We are excited to celebrate these students for their outstanding research, thoughtful presentations, and commitment to advancing the field of nutrition. Their hard work, professionalism, and passion were evident throughout the conference, and we look forward to following their continued success.

Undergraduate Winning Poster: Protein on the Mind: Exploring Protein-Related Stress in Physically Active Individuals

Graduate Winning Poster: Association Between Dietary n-6:n-3 Fatty Acid Ratio and Hypertension in U.S. Postmenopausal Women: A Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study Using a Nationally Representative NHANES Sample

Congratulations to our CHHS Outstanding Student Award recipients. 🏆

Please join us in celebrating:
🎓 CHHS Outstanding Nutrition Undergraduate Student
Karely Salazar Rios

🎓 CHHS Outstanding Nutrition Graduate Student
Kaprice Collins

These awards recognize outstanding achievement, dedication, and contributions within the Department of Nutrition. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition and all of your hard work. 💙

🍕 The ACSDA Pizza Party and logo reveal was a success. Thank you to everyone who joined to celebrate the end of the semester and the new ACSDA logo. 🎉

ACSDA will be staying active this summer with walks, hikes, and opportunities to connect with fellow nutrition students. Check out their upcoming events! ☀️🌿 🥾

🌟BCAL Spotlight: Celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month🌟

This month, we’re honored to highlight Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH - a leading voice in nutrition, public health, and food policy.

Dr. Nestle is a Professor Emerita at New York University and has spent her career researching how food systems, policy, and industry influence what we eat and our overall health . Her work, such as the book Food Politics, has helped shape conversations around nutrition science, food safety, and public health on a global level.

✨ What inspires us most is her commitment to evidence-based nutrition and advocating for transparency in the food system.

💬 “More than ever, the world needs well trained experts on diet and health who stick to the science and apply it thoughtfully to the needs of clients and patients… Promote good diets and change the world!”

👏 We love highlighting leaders who challenge systems, advocate for truth in nutrition, and inspire future dietitians to make meaningful change!



Picture Credit: Zara Surti 2025