Program Overview

Houston-area Opportunities for Undergraduate Student Training in Obesity & Nutrition (HOUSTON) Academy 2.0, is a 12-month interprofessional training program for undergraduate students who are interested in a health care profession. The program provides nutrition education, applied research and community engagement opportunities led by nursing, dental, medicine and public health scientists and professionals at the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston (UTHealth). Undergraduate students selected for the program will be provided a scholarship and are referred to as “trainees”.

Over the 12-months, HOUSTON Academy 2.0 undergraduate trainees will develop research, communication, and leadership skills needed to address nutrition-related chronic diseases and conditions. Each year training will begin in June. During the summer, trainees will engage in a 10-week multifaceted nutrition program where the learning will occur in the garden, kitchen, and simulation lab at UTHealth’s School of Public Health. Throughout the summer, fall, and spring semesters, the trainees will also engage in state-of-the-art research focused on nutrition-related chronic diseases and conditions occurring at UTHealth’s Cizik School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, McGovern Medical School, or the School of Public Health. Trainees will also engage in various community engagement activities, provide nutrition and health education to the community, and be exposed to various career and professional development opportunities.

HOUSTON Academy 2.0  is funded by the Research and Extension Experiential Learning for Undergraduate (REEU) Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2022-68018-36607. HOUSTON Academy 2.0 is a collaborative partnership with the Nourish Program and with the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.