Introduction and Rationale | Vision and Objectives | Organization, Programs, and Leadership | Physical Facilities, Future Plans, and Funding Opportunites

Vision:
Food, Nutrition, and Health in the 21^st Century

The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition was established in 1996 within the UCLA School of Medicine to provide leadership in nutritional sciences by facilitating interdisciplinary research, improving patient care, and creating educational initiatives for health professionals and the public. As the 21st century comes into view, nutrition will be the central focus of efforts to prevent and treat common chronic diseases through the integration of scientific, medical, and public health approaches.

While UCLA is known as one of the top biomedical research institutions in the nation and UCLA Medical Center continues to be rated as the best hospital in the Western United States (by U.S. News & World Report surveys), few people are aware that over the last two decades UCLA has developed one of the finest programs in Human Nutrition. It is the only university in the West with all of the following interrelated programs in human nutrition:

UCLA/NCI (National Cancer Institute) Clinical Nutrition Research Unit investigating nutrition and cancer prevention (one of two such units nationally);

UCLA/NIH (National Institutes of Health) Nutrition and Obesity Training Program providing research support for four M.D.s and/or Ph.D.s to conduct nutrition research (one of four such programs nationally);

UCLA/NCI Medical School Nutrition Curriculum Development Program having a four-year integrated medical school curriculum in nutrition designed to enable all UCLA School of Medicine graduates to meet 17 learning objectives in nutrition.

Specific Objectives

The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition will supply the academic leadership in nutritional sciences within the UCLA Medical Sciences and the University in order to:

provide the administrative support structure to enhance research, education, patient care, and community outreach in nutrition;

offer the resources and environment uniquely attractive and suited to the unprecedented interdisciplinary integration of nutrition research;

foster studies using naturally occurring nutrients and chemicals in foods to treat and prevent disease;

increase the biodiversity and health benefits of the American diet.

Introduction and Rationale
Vision and Objectives
Organization, Programs and Leadership
Physical Facilities, Future Plans, and Funding Opportunites

Nutrition 101 - Natural Remedies - Weight Management - Physician Education
Vitamins & Minerals - Nutrition & Aging - Nutrition & Disease - Research