Health and wellness knowledge is at the center of a healthy, young, and prosperous nation. Keeping this in view, the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics was founded under the College of Allied Health Sciences in 1988 and was rechristened as the Department of Clinical Nutrition in 1995. The department’s 36-year successful journey is a badge of honor for its dedication and success.
Our goals:
To uphold our wellness values through education and training, preparing students to support healthcare services.
To advance healthcare by delivering appropriate medical nutrition therapy.
To engage in nutrition research, developing innovative strategies for disease prevention and treatment.
To meet the demands of a professional career in dietetics, a Postgraduate Diploma course in Clinical Nutrition was introduced in 1997. Subsequently, in 2007, a comprehensive 2-year Postgraduate program was launched to train and equip graduates in the more specialized areas of diet therapy within a hospital setting. The department was further enriched by the introduction of the Ph.D. program in 2009. The program has produced nine doctorates and continues its journey to shape many more in the future.
The Year of 2015 witnessed a landmark development of the department with the Introduction of B. Sc Clinical Nutrition (CBCS), the first ever of its kind in a Medical University, where the clinical hands-on training starts in the second year of the program, the most unique component of the program. This programme aims to develop the skills and core competencies relating to Nutrition and its application in the health care and hospitality sectors. The curriculum is designed not only to enhance students’ employability/career opportunities but also to transform the young minds into citizens with a strong social responsibility, with entrepreneurial skills as well. To cater to the changing trends, internships and extension activities as part of outreach programs have also been incorporated into the curriculum.
2015 was a milestone year for the department with the launch of the B.Sc. Clinical Nutrition (CBCS) course – the first of its kind in a medical university. The commencement of clinical hands-on training from the second year is a highlight of this program. The course is structured to develop core competencies in nutrition and its implications in the healthcare and hospitality industries. Not only does the curriculum focus on developing students’ career opportunities, but also on fostering socially responsible individuals possessing entrepreneurial skills. To meet emerging trends, internship and extension work through outreach programs have also been incorporated into the curriculum.
We are also a key member of the multidisciplinary team undertaking patient assessment, recognizing patients at “nutritional risk,” and offering early nutritional intervention, which is central to aiding the recovery of the individual.
In-patient and out-patient clinical care such as Master Health Check-ups is provided by the Department of Clinical Nutrition. Our services cover paediatrics and geriatrics nutritional management, as well as post-operative, trauma, nephrology, hepatology, gynaecology, oncology, critical care, and enteral and parenteral nutrition therapy. The students gain clinical exposure to the aforementioned specialities via practical experience. The faculty also incorporates evidence-based medical nutritional therapy to optimize the patient’s outcome.
With over ten Ph.D. scholars actively working on different research projects, including ICMR-funded projects, research activities are a priority in our department. The concept and methodologies of research are imparted to students at the undergraduate level, with a number of students receiving the coveted Chancellor’s Summer Research Fellowship for their outstanding project proposals. M.Sc. dissertations offer greater experience in developing research questions, study design, securing ethical clearances, and finally publishing their work. Every year, students are awarded for ‘Best Outgoing Student’, ‘Best Dissertation’, and ‘Best Clinical Practice’ in the Convocation Programme of the University.
Our alumni speak for us, with most of them being placed in national and global institutions, for both higher studies and practicing careers at esteemed clinical and academic centers worldwide, aided by their robust academic background in the discipline of clinical nutrition.
The department is an active member of the medical community, organizing a number of outreach programs with the aim of educating the public and creating awareness about nutrition.
