HFN 502: Contemporary Issues in the Global Food System (3 credits)
Every plate of food around the world tells a story. Is there sufficient nutrition? How far has the food traveled? Who can afford it? Will the food promote health or chronic disease? Which multi-national corporation delivered it? This online course explores why food matters and how our food choices impact the planet. We will travel around the world examining food security, hunger and malnutrition, food waste, agricultural practices, economic challenges and environmental concerns including climate change. Students will gain the ability to evaluate local and global food issues through case studies worldwide. Course materials will draw on published research and popular media. Assignments will be shaped by the student's academic and professional interests.
HFN 503: Nutrition in the Media: Making Sense of the Science (3 credits)
This online course will increase students' awareness of the pervasive nature of food and nutrition messaging and the varied motivations behind them. Basic concepts related to nutrition and food science will be presented along with the skills and resources needed to critically evaluate future issues and trends in nutrition. Topics to be discussed include popular supplements, fad diets, common chronic diseases and related dietary recommendations, sustainable food practices and food labeling.
This course is an elective for non-MS in Nutrition students. It does not satisfy graduation requirements.
HFN 505: Current Topics: Maternal and Child Nutrition (3 credits)
This online course examines current trends in research on nutrition topics related to maternal and child health with a focus on evidence-based recommendations. Topics include fertility, intrauterine influences on development, maternal nutrition and infant feeding, breastfeeding, supplementation, asthma and allergic disease, nutrition and neurological development, gut microbiota in early life, links between early life and adult disease and environmental influences on early childhood feeding challenges. (Prerequisite: HFN 500, or equivalent upon approval)
HFN 507: Nutrition Physiology and Metabolism
This course introduces nutrition physiology and metabolism, including the ingestion and digestion of food, as well as the absorption, transport and metabolism of macro and micronutrients. Students will learn the structures, roles and metabolic regulation of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. Students will be introduced to the role of vitamins and minerals in human metabolism and regulation. Students will be introduced to the role of vitamins and minerals in human metabolism and health. (Prerequisite: Physiology)
This course is a prerequisite for the MS program. It does not satisfy graduation requirements.
HFN 508: Concepts in Nutrition Therapy
This introductory nutrition course will provide students with the basic knowledge of nutrition through the lifecycle and medical nutrition therapy for some disease states. Students will learn specific nutritional needs for individuals during pregnancy and lactation, for normal growth and development, and for adults during early, middle and later years in life. Medical nutrition therapy for different disease states will be discussed in detail, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. In addition, the concept of nutrition support via enteral and parenteral nutrition will be introduced. Case-based assignments will be used to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the nutrition care process (assessment, nutrition diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation) and documentation. (Prerequisite/Co-Requisite: HFN 507)
This course is a prerequisite for the MS program. It does not satisfy graduation requirements.
HFN 510: Issues and Trends in Nutrition (3 credits)*
This online course will provide an overview of current and emerging issues in food and nutrition including topics that impact nutrition recommendations for patients. Course materials will also include trends in health care organizations as it relates to food and nutrition service delivery. Students will explore how these trends may shape patient perceptions of favorable and unfavorable dietary choices, as well as food availability via market trends. (Prerequisite: HFN 507, or equivalent upon approval)
HFN 512: Macronutrients and Metabolic Regulation (3 credits)
This online course is designed to promote an in depth understanding of the role of macronutrients in human health and nutrition. The digestion, absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and the relationship of energy metabolism will be extensively studied. (Prerequisite: Admission to Graduate Nutrition Program or HFN 507)
HFN 514: Micronutrients and Functional Nutrition (3 credits)
This online course is designed to promote an in depth understanding of the role of micronutrients in human health and nutrition. The digestion, absorption and metabolism of vitamins and minerals will be extensively studied. (Prerequisite: Admission to Graduate Nutrition Program, a prior undergraduate or graduate biochemistry course, and HFN 512. Departmental consent required)
HFN 515: Advanced Nutrition in Clinical Practice I (3 credits)*
This two part online course will offer the student an opportunity to explore the role of diet and nutrition in the prevention, progression and treatment of chronic diseases. First the role of diet in mediating oxidation and inflammation is reviewed. This is followed with presentations of nutrition therapy for specific conditions, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease, as well as issues regarding gut health, food intolerances, and gastrointestinal conditions. Nutrition for cancer prevention and nutrition to support athletic performance is also included. (Prerequisite: HFN 507, or equivalent upon approval)
HFN 516: Advanced Nutrition in Clinical Practice II (3 credits)
The second half of this two part online course will further explore medical nutrition therapy for gastrointestinal disorders, liver and pancreatic disease, metabolic disorders, psychiatric and behavioral disorders, pulmonary disease, renal dysfunction, cancer, metabolic stress, surgery and infection. The principles and practices of enteral and parenteral nutrition will be covered. (Prerequisite: Advanced Nutrition in Clinical Practice I)
HFN 520: Advanced Communication and Counseling (3 credits)*
This online course examines the role of professionals in promoting general health and wellness for individuals and groups in a community setting. Application of key theoretical models of behavior change and evidence-based intervention strategies are explored. Strategies and skills in counseling the individual client and group are examined and applied. Additional topics include techniques for communicating nutrition information to the public, the media and ensuring cultural competence. In addition to the text, a purchase of a self-assessment tool for $25 is necessary for the student to meet the course requirements.(Prerequisite: HFN 507, or equivalent upon approval)
HFN 528: Public Health Nutrition - Concepts and Strategies (3 credits)
This online course prepares students to advance population health. After reviewing underlying concepts of population surveillance and monitoring, epidemiology, social determinant of health and cultural competency, students will apply this knowledge to program development. Students will identify a nutrition or food related policy or program facilitating healthy food availability or sustainable food systems, and develop the skills necessary to operationalize such a policy or program. Students will use logic models to conceptualize the policy or program, and develop in-depth monitoring and evaluation strategies. In addition, students will learn to coordinate program planning with budget development so as to develop realistic programs. Lastly, students will learn how to display data and seek funding to facilitate initial or continued implementation, or to further policy development. (This course is only available for students matriculated in the Graduate Nutrition Program)
HFN 530: Nutrition Management and Leadership (3 credits)
This online course is designed to develop effective management skills in clinical nutrition services. The emphasis will be on the management of clinical services in highly regulated health care settings. Case studies and problem-based learning scenarios will complement online instruction and readings. Personnel issues, cost containment, benchmarking and management principles pertinent to clinical functions will be discussed and applied to real life situations. Accreditation and regulation processes will be covered in depth and the focus will be on the Joint Commission Accreditation process and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (This course is only available for students matriculated in the Graduate Nutrition Program)
HFN 535: Sports Nutrition and Wellness (3 credits)
This online course is designed to enhance the students' knowledge and understanding of sports nutrition practice. We will explore the benefits and roles that macronutrients and micronutrients have on athletic performance. Pre-, during, and post-exercise recommendations, hydration recommendations for athletes and nutrition ergogenic aids will be discussed in detail. Students will learn strategies and develop skills to implement practical applications of sports nutrition including assessment of athletes, determining athletes' readiness to change, and creating individual recommendations. Specific needs for varying types of athletes, such as endurance athletes, strength/power athletes and team sport athletes will be reviewed. Specific considerations in sports nutrition, such as athletes with diabetes, pregnant athletes, child and adolescent athletes, teen athletes, college athletes, master's athletes, elite athletes and vegetarian athletes will be examined. Lastly, differences for recreational athletes and active individuals will be discussed, and differences between competitive athletes delineated. (Prerequisite: HFN 507, or equivalent upon approval)
HFN 541: Critical Care and Nutrition Support (3 credits)
This online course will explore the role and impact of medical nutrition therapy in the critical care setting and its influence on patient outcomes. This will include the assessment of specific patient-populations such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), burns, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVHD), sedated/intubated patients, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The impact of preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative feeding strategies will be discussed as well as potential pros and cons of immune enhancing supplements. (Prerequisite: Admission to the Graduate Nutrition Program's Advanced Nutrition Therapy and Critical Care Concentration and HFN 516)
HFN 542: Advanced Pediatric & Neonatal Support (3 credits)
This online course will explore the nutrition needs of infants, children and adolescents with an in-depth examination of medical nutrition therapy for select pediatric and neonatal diseases and chronic illnesses. Special emphasis will be placed on growth and development, pediatric nutrition assessment, and the effect of chronic and acute illnesses on the nutritional status and health outcomes of infants, children and adolescents. This course is designed to reinforce the fundamentals of nutrition and to build competence in the area of nutrition assessment, monitoring, and evaluation of nutritional status within the pediatric populations, including neonates. (Prerequisite: Admission to Graduate Nutrition Program's Advanced Nutrition Therapy and Critical Care Concentration and HFN 516)
HFN 551: Evidence-Based Concepts in Integrative Nutrition (3 credits)
This online course will explore the underlying concepts of integrative nutrition, the practice of providing individualized medical nutrition therapy to optimize health, and treat complex chronic illnesses, through food and the judicious use of supplements. Such discussion will build on prior coursework, especially Macronutrients and Metabolic Regulation and Micronutrients and Functional Nutrition, to explore how nutrition can modulate major systems and functions including the gastrointestinal system, the immune system, the central nervous system, detoxification, oxidation and inflammation. (Prerequisite: Admission to the Graduate Nutrition Program's Integrative Nutrition Therapy Concentration and HFN 514)
HFN 552: Case-Based Approaches to Integrative Nutrition (3 credits)
During this online course, students will apply the concepts of integrative nutrition, as well as material in other clinically relevant courses, to a variety of complex clinical cases. Case study assignments will include detailed assessment strategies and care plans to include dietary intake and supplementation, as well as appropriate monitoring and evaluation techniques. (Prerequisite: Admission to the Graduate Nutrition Program's Integrative Nutrition Therapy Concentration and HFN 551)
HFN 570: Statistics (3 credits)
This online course facilitates the development of the knowledge base to support statistical reasoning and the skills necessary to conduct statistical analyses appropriate in a healthcare or public health environment. This includes data collection methods, data cleaning, hypothesis testing, confidence limits, and statistical analysis procedures, such as analysis of variance, simple linear regression, and multiple regression. Additional topics include the techniques for summarizing results of various statistical procedures, as well as designing appropriate tables and graphs.
HFN 575: Research Methods in Nutrition (3 credits)
This online course will facilitate the student's ability to work independently to develop a research project. This process will include the following: formulation of a research question or hypothesis, study design and design of data collection methods. Issues regarding the protection of human subjects and protected health information will be discussed. This course will prepare the student to successfully complete a culminating project at a later date required for completion of the Master's degree in Nutrition. (Prerequisite: Admission to the Graduate Nutrition Program; Pre or Co-requisite: HFN 570)
HFN 578: Application of Nutrition Research Literature (3 credits)
This online course will facilitate continued development of the critical thinking skills necessary to become efficient consumers of nutrition-related, peer-reviewed literature so that graduates can continuously update their knowledge base for application to practice. Students will increase their awareness of new developments in the field of nutrition by first reviewing the nutrition, science or health sections of local or national media outlets that reference newly released peer reviewed articles. Students will then refine their literature search skills to find peer-reviewed research on the topic, and then work in small groups to critically analyze and present the research literature and the groups’ conclusions. (Prerequisite: Admission to the Graduate Nutrition Program; HFN 570; Pre or Co-requisite: HFN 575)
HFN 580: Practical Applications (3 credits)
Students enrolled in this online course will have the opportunity to choose between three types of culminating projects, a research paper addressing a clinical question, a continuous quality improvement project addressing a clinical question or practice or a practicum project. Students will work with a faculty mentor who will supervise and guide the student as they select their project and topic and progress through the semester. Students may also seek an onsite agency mentor if utilizing their worksite to complete a CQI project, but will be responsible to provide all requested information to their assigned faculty mentor who will ultimately recommend a grade. (Prerequisite: Admission to the Graduate Nutrition Program and completion of 27 credits inclusive of HFN 575; Pre or Co-requisite: HFN 578)
HFN 583: Professional Applications in Nutrition Care (3 credits)
This online course will prepare students to advance the field of clinical nutrition by developing, implementing and evaluating high quality clinical nutrition therapies and services, through the following: execution of continuous quality improvement projects, development of innovative nutrition care plans through case studies of complex patient cases, business plans for clinical services, and/or presentations of the critical analysis of the research literature. (This course is only available to Stony Brook University Dietetic Interns, by permission only)
