Research Opportunities

Carrying out research is a fundamental component of all IHN educational programs—M.S., Ph.D., and others. The possibilities for research are rich and varied. At the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, IHN faculty members conduct their own research, in which students often participate. In addition, a number of specialized centers of research are of special interest to students of nutrition. The Medical Center is also the home of the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, with its varied programs, many of which have a central focus on nutrition. Research opportunities in the context of education are available at Teachers College, located at the main Columbia University campus 2.5 miles to the south of the Medical Center.

Students wishing to undertake community service or research in the community setting will find a number of opportunities near the Medical Center.

The following paragraphs outline some of these opportunities.

Thirty-seven faculty members (see pages) are active in basic laboratory, clinical, and public health research and represent departments and disciplines that interface nutrition with microbiology, physiology, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, medicine, pediatrics, surgery, toxicology, pharmacology, environmental health, epidemiology, nutrition, and health education. Institute faculty direct projects funded by $90 million in research grants. The extensive research and training collaborations among these groups offer outstanding opportunities for cooperative and interactive training of the next generation of nutrition researchers.

Columbia's Health Sciences faculty have proven records in their specific research fields and solid experience in doctoral and postdoctoral training. Active training programs include those in the basic science departments: Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Genetics and Development, Microbio logy, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, as well as programs associated with interdisciplinary doctoral program subcommittees in Biostatistics, Cellular, Molecular, and Biophysical Studies, and Public Health.

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