Program in International and Community Nutrition

Welcome to the home page for UCD's Program in International and Community Nutrition.

The Program in International and Community Nutrition (PICN) of the University of California, Davis was established in 1987 to coordinate research and training activities concerning human nutrition problems of low-income countries, and of ethnic minorities and disadvantaged groups in the United States. In 1994, the Program became an Organized Research Unit (ORU) under the Office of Research.

The specific objectives of the PICN are:

To conduct basic and applied research on issues of human nutrition relevant to individuals and populations of developing countries;

To plan and manage the educational curriculum leading to a Designated Emphasis (minor) in International Nutrition for doctoral students of the participating graduate programs, and to coordinate training activities for other graduate students and post-doctoral fellows;

To provide technical assistance to national governments and international agencies concerned with food and nutrition policies of developing countries;

To foster collaborative exchanges of students and faculty between UC Davis and research and training institutions abroad.

Faculty members from the Departments of Nutrition and Agricultural and Resource Economics (College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (School of Medicine), and the Division of Environmental & Resource Sciences & Policy work together to achieve these objectives. The educational curriculum provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to master their chosen primary disciplines, while simultaneously exposing them to interdisciplinary research methods. The training program therefore combines courses in basic biological sciences, behavioral sciences, and social sciences, as well as interdisciplinary seminars in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of nutrition programs at the community and national levels.

A sampling of PICN research projects

	Sara Wuehler, a Ph.D. student in Dr. Ken Brown's lab, is conducting a benefit-risk study in Ecuador to determine the optimal dose of zinc supplements for 1-3 year old stunted children . . .
	Joanne Arsenault, a graduate student working with Dr. Kenneth Brown in the Program in International and Community Nutrition, is carrying out a study in Peru to examine the effect of zinc . . .
	Researchers in Dr. Kay Dewey's lab are coordinating the only United States research site for a worldwide project, coordinated by the World Health Organization, to revise growth charts for children under the age of 5 years . . .
	A health assistant delivers a capsule to a participant in a study on treatment of nightblindness during pregnancy, which is being conducted in Nepal . . .
	Dr. Kathryn Dewey and graduate student Camila Chaparro investigate an obstetrical approach to reduce infant iron deficiency and anemia in Mexico

For more information on the Program, please select one of the links below.

Curriculum for the Designated Emphasis
Faculty

Administrative and Research Staff

Current Research

Seminars

Current Students

Graduates

Collaborating Institutions

Admission and Fellowship Opportunities

Click here for information on applying to UC Davis
Travel Resources
The University of California, Davis

The City of Davis

Useful or interesting links

For additional information regarding the Program in International and Community Nutrition, write to:

Dr. Kathryn G. Dewey, Director
Program in International and Community Nutrition
Department of Nutrition
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, California 95616 U.S.A.

or call:

Tel. (530) 752-1992
FAX (530) 752-3406
E-mail: dbvandepeute@ucdavis.edu

PICN home page