Message from the Department Chair
Molly S. Bray
Department Chair and Professor
Susan T. Jastrow Endowed Chair for Excellence in Nutritional Sciences
“You are what you eat,” has never been truer. Today, we know that it isn’t just the quality of what you eat, but also the quantity and timing of food intake, your genetic make-up, your physical activity level, your body composition, your gut microbiome, your environment, and even your stress level that can all interact to influence how the food you eat affects mental and physical health. Nutritional science encompasses the gamut of research from behavior to biology, and faculty and students in the Department of Nutritional Sciences pioneer nutrition research in the lab, clinic, and classroom.
Nutrition is the perfect major for undergraduates on a healthcare professional path, including medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, and dietetics. In addition to a BS in Nutrition, we also offer a combined BS/MS degree in dietetics through our Integrated Coordinated Program in Dietetics.
Graduate students work with faculty experts on innovative projects such as examining how nutrients affect the underpinnings and treatment of cancer; determining how exposure to school gardens can influence lifelong eating and physical activity habits and growth in children; determining how early life nutrition affects both mother and child; and investigating how nutrients influence gene expression, development, and other molecular processes.
Our mission is to make impactful discoveries that contribute to the prevention and treatment of diseases across the life course, while preparing the next generation of clinicians, nutrition-related basic and translational researchers, and dietitians. We welcome you to our department!
Molly S. Bray, PhD
Departmental Leadership
Jaimie Davis, Ph.D., R.D.
Associate Chair for Graduate Education
Jaimie Davis is a Registered Dietitian and Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. She has extensive expertise in nutrition physical activity and body composition assessment in pediatric populations. Many of her studies among obese Hispanic youth have shown protective effects of diets low in sugar and high dietary fiber and fruits and vegetables against increased obesity and related metabolic diseases. Dr. Davis’s research also involves developing and testing school and community-based gardening and cooking programs targeting obesity prevention and treatment for low-income minority populations.
Laura Lashinger, Ph.D.
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education & Director of Online Master’s in Nutritional Sciences
Dr. Lashinger is Associate Professor of Instruction and Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She received a PhD in Cancer Biology from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, a BS in Nursing from the University of Virginia, and a BS in Psychology and Biology from Old Dominion University.
Dr. Lashinger's research interests include understanding the connection between energy balance and pancreatic cancer development and progression. Her work highlighted the energy balance-responsiveness of this aggressive cancer, particularly when detected early, largely because of the nutrient-sensitive growth factors insulin and IGF-1. Another focus of her research is to determine effects of macronutrient intake timing on cardiometabolic outcomes such as insulin sensitivity and fat deposition.
One of Dr. Lashinger's goals for the online master's program is to make the leadership transition seamless. In a letter to program stakeholders she says, "I feel in a good place to do so given that I was part of the team that created this program and continue to teach one of the core courses. I have been teaching at The University of Texas at Austin for over 13 years and have trained many graduate and undergraduate students. Because of my background in cancer biology, nursing, and psychology, I bring a strong physiologic, biochemical, and applications approach to my mentorship and teaching. I will 'meet' and teach you all very soon, but if you feel the need to reach out, please do so…I always welcome a great conversation. I look forward to watching you all progress through our program!"