Nutrition and Dietetics at the UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy

The mission of the College for Health, Community and Policy (HCAP) is to develop solutions to affect change for complex social issues to improve the well-being of communities and the world. We aim to accomplish this mission through exceptional education, creation and dissemination of knowledge, and partnership with communities and institutions from local to global.

The Coordinated Program in Dietetics and Community Outreach

A UTSA student serves up nutritious info for area seniors as part of her community service practicum for the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. Hope Martinez put together a presentation about bone and joint health, where she discussed the various foods that can aid in positive joint health, as well as some fun ways to prepare them.

Martinez has wanted to become a registered dietitian for quite some time, and it was one of the reasons why she chose to come to UTSA. “I wanted to be a part of a competitive program to become an RD,” she said. “This program challenges us by emphasizing the ‘see one, do one, teach one' teaching technique, ensuring that we are prepared for real life scenarios.”

The practicum involves shadowing the Registered Dietitian for the City of San Antonio's senior centers. This collaboration included a nutrition education survey designed to help tailor a nutrition education curriculum for comprehensive senior sites, which allows the program to provide accurate and cultural nutritional knowledge to the senior population.

Advancing Sports Nutrition in UTSA Athletics

UTSA Athletics announced the hire of Paul Eom, RD, as Director of Sports Nutrition. Eom, a Registered Dietitian, oversees a full-service program that serves the nutrition needs of the Roadrunners’ nearly 400 student-athletes. Providing first-class nutritional support and education for student-athletes in all sports is a top priority, as enhancing the nutritional support is paramount to their success both in competition and in life.

Comprehensive Services for Student-Athletes

The sports nutrition unit provides two main areas of services: nutrition services and food-service. On the dietitian side, the department offers:

• One-on-one counseling with student-athletes.
• Creating individualized meal plans and fueling plans for practice and competition.
• Individualized hydration plans and supplement recommendations.
• Medical nutrition therapy.

The food-service side oversees fueling stations, providing all of the fueling options, snacks, and pre-made smoothies. The department provides approximately 15 different types of snacks, including healthy fats and proteins, beef jerky sticks, protein bars, Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit.

Nutritional Support Comparison

Below is a summary of the diverse nutrition services provided by UTSA programs:

There is a lot of support from administration and from coaches in wanting to provide more for the athletes from a nutrition standpoint. As Jordan Murrin, Director of Sports Nutrition, noted, "I’m educating people on the need to fuel before, during and after workouts, so it led to more usage." The department is always looking to grow to accommodate changes in research and best practices.