Affiliations

Center for Human Nutrition Affiliations

Department of Clinical Nutrition

The Department of Clinical Nutrition works closely with the Center for Human Nutrition to offer students and faculty an effective learning environment to study nutrition. Scott Grundy, MD, PhD, is both Director of the Center and Chair of the Department.

Department of Clinical Science

This department functions as an academic, educational, and cultural home for clinical investigators across all departments and disciplines at UT Southwestern. It is under the direction of Milton Packer, MD. Dr. Grundy is a member of the Department of Clinical Science and is the medical director of the Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC).

Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC)

The CTRC (formally known as the General Clinical Research Center) provides a resource for the medical center’s faculty and carries out patient research in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The CTRC has a 13-bed metabolic unit and two outpatient clinics. All of these units are staffed by CTRC personnel. Dr. Grundy is the administrative head of all of these units.

Division of Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases

The Division of Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases is actively involved in clinical and basic research pertaining to the disorders of human nutrition and metabolism, such as obesity, other body fat disorders, diabetes, and hyperlipidemias. This division is headed by Abhimanyu Garg, MD.

Taskforce for Obesity Research

This taskforce assembles the best investigators and technology at UT Southwestern to focus on a major medical problem in the US: obesity and the associated constellation of metabolic disorders referred to as metabolic syndrome.

UT Southwestern Nutrition Academic Award

Center faculty received a grant award from the National Institutes of Health to develop new ways to improve nutrition education in academic medical centers. The Center for Human Nutrition joins 16 other medical schools in the United States to develop new approaches to nutrition education. The Center leads an effort to promote online learning through a network of websites among the 17 institutions.

External Affiliations

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism (NPAM) brings new emphasis to the association in the fields of obesity, diabetes, nutrition, physical activity and metabolic syndrome. CHN Director Scott Grundy, MD, PhD, is a past chair of NPAM. Gloria Vega, PhD, has been a member of the AHA’s Research Committee.

Current Opinion in Lipidology

This journal summarizes important advances in the field of lipids. Dr. Grundy is the current editor of the journal.

Dallas VA Medical Center

The VA Medical Center at Dallas is a major site for clinical investigation for researchers at the CHN. Much of the research published from the CHN over the past 25 years has been carried out at the VAMC.

Cooper Institute

Cooper Institute is a nonprofit organization founded in Dallas, TX, by Dr. Kenneth Cooper in 1970, which is dedicated to preventive medicine research. The Institute has over 600 peer-reviewed publications related to obesity, hypertension,diabetes, and effects of physical activity on morbidity and mortality. The Cooper Institute has entered into a collaborative research program with UT Southwestern and the Center for Human Nutrition.

International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS)

The IAS consists of 53 member organizations worldwide that promote research and education in the atherosclerosis field. Dr. Grundy, center director, is past president of the IAS and currently editor of the IAS website.

NHLBI National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s (NHLB’s) NCEP aims to promote education for the general public and the medical profession about the cardiovascular risk associated with high blood cholesterol. Several Center investigators have assisted NHLBI in the development of cholesterol guidelines.

Metabolic Syndrome Institute (MSI)

Created in 2003, the Metabolic Syndrome Institute is an independent nonprofit association. Its members are international experts in lipid metabolism, diabetes, heart disease, endocrinology obesity, genetics, epidemiology, basic research, and health economics. The first association totally devoted to the dissemination of knowledge about metabolic syndrome, the MSI provides an international multidisciplinary approach to a worldwide public health problem. CHN researchers participate in the MSI and assist in the development of the MSI website.