Behavioral Nutrition PhD

The high prevalence of chronic disease and obesity worldwide, and increasingly of diabetes, has added urgency to the need for qualified researchers trained in understanding the complex interaction of biology, environment, and personal behavior, as well as skilled in the development of interventions to potentially attenuate the high rates of these conditions. At the same time, there is increasing recognition of the high impact of behavior and food policy on the sustainability of the food systems on which humans depend for their sustenance.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) prepares graduates to conduct research, evaluation and intervention studies in Behavioral Nutrition. Behavioral Nutrition is an emerging field dedicated to understanding the interaction between biology, individual behavior, and one’s environment that contribute to health and disease, to the sustainability of food systems, and to social issues deriving from systemic racism. Students in the Ph.D. in Behavioral Nutrition design and implement interventions based on these understandings. The program draws on the strong research agendas of the Program in Nutrition faculty in health behavior studies and health education, psychology, behavioral nutrition, nutrition education, nutritional epidemiology, nutritional ecology, and exercise physiology. The research of faculty in other areas at of Teachers College and from other schools at Columbia University, such as the Mailman School of Public Health and the School of Medicine, also influence the program.

In particular, the Ph.D. program prepares graduates to conduct research on critical issues related to:

• Determinants of health behaviors related to nutrition and physical activity
• Relationships among food- and nutrition-related behaviors, health outcomes, and the environment
• Design and implementation of theory-based behavioral nutrition and physical activity interventions
• Methodological considerations in the design and evaluation of interventions

There are three specializations within the Ph.D. program:

• Behavioral Nutrition
• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Nutrition and Physical Activity

Graduates holding this degree are leaders who assume research, evaluation, and intervention roles in universities and colleges as well as other settings on a variety of issues related to behavioral aspects of nutrition as well as environmental factors affecting these behaviors. The program prepares researchers with strong quantitative and qualitative evaluation skills as well as basic and applied behavioral skills within an educational context.

Research Training and Apprenticeship

The primary modality for training for Ph.D. students is working with their sponsor on an ongoing research project. Students will work closely with one faculty member on a research project to gain practical experience in the development of study instruments, intervention protocols, data collection, data management and analysis, manuscript preparation and submission, and presentation of results at relevant scientific meetings. During their first year after completing basic core courses, students will also participate in two semester-long part-time internships with other Columbia University research labs or other organizations to gain additional research perspectives.

Read more about our recent doctoral graduates in the Doctoral Student Update.

Read the titles of recent doctoral dissertations.