Dear prospective PhD in Nutrition students,
I am delighted to share with you details of my experiences as a recent graduate of the PhD in Nutrition program at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UH) to demonstrate why you too should consider completing your doctoral training at UH.
At UH, I catered my coursework to suit my training needs and interests. There are many great courses available to students at UH, both within and outside of Nutrition Department. The PhD in Nutrition program at UH was incredibly flexible, allowing me, with the help of my supervisor, to choose the courses that were right for me. In my case, this included courses in epidemiology to help me complete my dissertation research, and courses in negotiation and agricultural law for my professional development and interest’s sake.
At UH, I developed the skills and experience needed to work as an instructor. During my doctoral training, not only was I able to work as a teaching assistant for seven different courses (with three separate instructors), I was hired as a sessional instructor, teaching my own section of the introductory nutrition course. In these roles, I learned all aspect of course development and instruction, and gained practical experience teaching, which is an incredible asset for people such as myself who are interested in pursuing a career as a university professor.
At UH, I had the support I needed to complete my dissertation research in a timely manner. My research focused on fish and omega-3 fatty acids in pediatric liver disease. Prior to this, I had limited experience conducting human nutrition research. However, with the support of my supervisor, the faculty, and our research collaborators, I was able complete five research studies, all published in peer-reviewed journals, in just three and half years.
Overall, the training that I received in the PhD in Nutrition program at UH provided me with a depth and breadth of nutritional science knowledge, and diverse range of skills related to instruction and research, which will help me to achieve in my career goals.
– David St-Jules, PhD (Harvard University)