Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition - PhD
Domestically and globally, poor diet and lack of physical activity are the greatest contributors to the burden of disease and mortality. Globally, obesity rates are on the rise, often alongside severe undernutrition in developing countries. Overweight and obesity, along with other chronic conditions such as cardiovascular heart disease and Type II diabetes are largely attributable to lifestyle related behaviors, including insufficient physical activity, increased sedentarism, and poor nutrition. We also have an aging population, whereby a healthy diet and physical activity become critical to live more healthfully for longer.
The PhD in Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition (EPAN) at GWSPH has been created as an actionable program with a fundamental and deep core appreciation that both nutrition and physical activity together are powerful in fighting many of the most significant public health problems of our time. We strive to uniquely integrate both disciplines given their unique but often have synergistic impacts on health.
This multidisciplinary program provides a rigorous educational opportunity with a curriculum grounded in science and includes the use of sound methodological approaches and innovative thinking that leads to the advancement of knowledge that can be translated into real-world health applications in the fields of physiology and nutrition. Scholars in the doctoral EPAN program will have the opportunity to more fully integrate or specialize their focus in exercise physiology or applied nutrition through their elective coursework and dissertation research.
The program further provides scholars with opportunities to focus on health from laboratory to more community-based approaches. Ongoing research includes nutritional and physical activity epidemiology focused on aging and cancer, physiological and metabolic adaptations to dietary factors and exercise, chronic disease prevention and management, physical activity and dietary interventions, and community-based programs and interventions focused on physical activity and nutrition in children and youth. The program takes advantage of the strengths of the GW academic environment, including wet labs, applied nutrition and physiology labs, along with our location in Washington, D.C., where students and faculty have the opportunity to translate knowledge into real-world impact.
Program Director: Rob van Dam, PhD
GWSPH Doctoral programs admit students for the Fall term each academic year. Applications will be accepted beginning in August and are due no later than December 1st for the next matriculating cohort beginning in the following Fall term. Find GWSPH graduate admissions information here.
GWSPH is committed to support the highest standards and practices of diversity and inclusion in all of our processes, systems and interactions throughout the application and student experience.
The PhD program will accept students every year. Applications will be accepted beginning mid-August and are due no later than December 1st. Applications will be reviewed following the December 1st deadline and those applicants selected for an in-person interview (video conference if remote) can expect to be contacted no later than mid-February.
Our admissions process and requirements:
- Master's Degree from accredited graduate program is required
- Applicants with a graduate degree in exercise science, nutrition, public health, or a related discipline will be highly encouraged; however any major is acceptable as long as applicants show requisite knowledge and skills
- Typically an A average in graduate coursework
- International students must provide language test results from the TOEFL or IELTS that are no more than 2 years old if they have not received a post-secondary degree from a US institution
- Letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose
- Interview
Prerequisite expectations (what we are looking for):
- General Biology and Chemistry (with labs)
- Human or mammalian physiology
- Graduate level statistics or biostatistics course is a required prerequisite
Highly Preferred:
- Biochemistry (this will be discussed with student's research mentor prior to admission)
- Exercise Physiology and/or Nutrition Science
- Strong GRE score taken within 5 years of the matriculation date
In addition, we will thoroughly examine the research background of our applicants and give preference to students who have worked on research teams/laboratories or otherwise demonstrated research interest and aptitude.
- PhD Course Requirements
PUBH 6421 | Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit)
PUBH 8099 | PHD Seminar: Cross Cutting Concepts in Public Health (1 credit)
PUBH 8416 | Study Design and Evaluation (3 credits)
PUBH 8418 | Applied statistical Analysis* (3 credits)
PUBH 6080 | Pathways to Public Health** (0 credits)*PUBH 6862 Applied Linear Regression Analysis may be taken in place of PUBH 8418 Applied Statistical Analysis.
**For students without a prior public health degree, find FAQs for PUBH 6080 on the Advising page here.
PHD CORE TOTAL: 8 credits
- Program-Specific Course Requirements
EXNS 6202 | Advanced Exercise Physiology (3 credits)
PUBH 6619 | Fundamentals of Nutrition Science (3 credits)
PUBH 6611 | Nutrition Assessment (2 credits)
EXNS 6810 | Advanced Metabolism (3 credits)
EXNS 8108 | Lab Techniques in Human Physiology (2 credits)
EXNS 8110 | Seminar in Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition (2 credits)PROGRAM-SPECIFIC TOTAL: 15 CREDITS
- Tailoring Coursework (Electives)
Electives may be selected to focus specifically on individual areas of interest in accordance with advisors support. Focus areas may include: epidemiology, exercise physiology, applied nutrition, social/behavioral interventions. See program guide for examples of suggested courses. For students entering with a relevant MS degree in physiology or nutrition, some core courses may be waived and additional tailoring courses can be taken in their place.
TAILORING TOTAL: 12-15 CREDITS
- Comps and Dissertation
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION (no credits)
All PhD students are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination, which typically occurs following the Spring semester of Year 2. Comprehensive exams must be successfully completed within three years of matriculation to the PhD program.
DISSERTATION PREPARATION AND DISSERTATION
PUBH 8435 | Dissertation Proposal Development (2 credits)
EXNS 8999 | Dissertation Research ( 9-12 credits)DISSERTATION TOTAL: 11-13 CREDITS
- Non-Academic Requirements
Professional Enhancement
Students in the PhD program must participate in eight hours of Professional Enhancement. These activities are pre-approved by an advisor and may be Public Health-related lectures, seminars, and symposia related to your field of study.
Professional Enhancement activities supplement the rigorous academic curriculum of the SPH degree programs and help prepare students to participate actively in the professional community. You can learn more about opportunities for Professional Enhancement via the Milken Institute School of Public Health Listserv, through departmental communications, or by speaking with your advisor. Students submit a completed Professional Enhancement Form to the Office of Student Records which is required documentation to be cleared for graduation.
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training
All students are required to complete the Basic CITI training module. This online training module will help new students demonstrate and maintain sufficient knowledge of the ethical principles and regulatory requirements for protecting human subjects - key for any public health research.
Academic Integrity Quiz
All Milken Institute School of Public Health students are required to review the University’s Code of Academic Integrity and complete the GW Academic Integrity Activity. This activity must be completed within 2 weeks of matriculation. Information on GWSPH Academic Integrity requirements can be found here.
- Past Program Guides
Students in the PhD in the Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program. For the current program guide, click the "PROGRAM GUIDE" button on the right-hand side of the page.
PhD students will contribute to timely and important research questions grounded in rigorous methods spanning laboratory science and community-based methods, quantitative and qualitative analyses, effective communications to the scientific community, students and general public, ultimately concluding with scientific publications in their area of expertise.
Our faculty at the Milken Institute School of Public Health are involved in a national profile of strategic research and serve as mentors to students across departments based on areas of specialized interest. These key faculty in the Exercise and Nutrition Sciences department will be directly associated with the PhD, Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition program:
Dr. Rob van Dam, Program Director
Jasmine Charter-Harris
Start year: 2022 Concentration: Nutrition Policy Advisor: Karina Lora
Jasmine received her MPH in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Her research focuses on nutrition and physical activity interventions aimed at preventing chronic diseases, with a particular emphasis on underserved populations. Prior to joining GWU, Jasmine served as a research fellow with the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT), where she conducted critical research and resource gap analyses to enhance the availability of evidence-based lifestyle change programs for adults with prediabetes or those at high risk for type 2 diabetes. The focus of her dissertation is to explore and describe healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among Black Caribbean men.
Nick Foreman
Start year: 2022 Advisor: Matthew Barberio
Nick received his MS in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota for his research on heart rate variability and endurance performance. Here at GW, his research interests center around the use of feeding challenges to understand metabolism. Decreases in insulin sensitivity are common in chronic disease, so his dissertation will use an acute high-fat diet to study the effect of reduced insulin sensitivity after a feeding challenge. In his spare time, you can find him running with a local running club or spending time with his partner and their two grey cats.
Mariana Fagundes Grilo
Start year: 2022
Concentration: Nutrition Policy
Advisor: Allison Sylvetsky
Mariana is an international student from Brazil, where she received her MPH from the University of Campinas. She is currently a Fellow at the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at George Washington University. Her research explores how public policies can contribute to creating a healthier food environment and protecting children's health, with a focus on ultra-processed foods, front-of-package labeling, and non-sugar sweeteners.
Xin (Tracy) Li
Start year: 2022
Concentration: Nutrition Epidemiology
Advisor: Sameera Talegawkwar
Tracy was born and raised in Guangdong, China, and commenced her academic journey in the US in 2014. She obtained her master's degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, specializing in Human Nutrition within the International Health Department. Tracy's research interests center on investigating the association between diets and age-related functional changes in older adults. Currently, she is involved in a project studying the relationships between ultra-processed food consumption and frailty risk in older adults, utilizing data from the InCHIANTI Study. Tracy's dissertation topic intends to explore the association between dietary quality and physical function changes in older adults at the molecular level.
Yu Jin Lim
Start year: 2023 Concentration: Nutrition Advisor: Rob van Dam
Yu Jin was born in Busan, South Korea, and grew up primarily in Seoul, South Korea. She received her BS and MS in Nutrition from Sookmyung Women's University, with her thesis focusing on a mobile application to control sodium intake in hypertensive patients. She is a fellow at the Co-Design of Trustworthy AI Systems (DTAIS) program at George Washington University for the 2024-25 academic year. Her current research focuses on developing AI tools for nutrition management for public health purposes.
Tim O'Neal
Start year: 2023 Advisor: Loretta DiPietro
Tim proudly served in AmeriCorps NCCC. He started his career as a registered dietitian for WIC. He completed a dual MS in Nutrition & Exercise at San Diego State University. There, his research focused on how tree nut consumption affected athletic performance. Before starting at GWU, Tim worked as a clinical exercise physiologist in cardiac rehab at Boulder Community Hospital. Tim is a Redstone Fellow and his current research interests include chronic disease prevention via lifestyle interventions. One research project examines how participation in a team-based running and adult mentorship program affects metnal health outcomes in DC adolescents. Another examines how the COVID pandemic affected American exercise behaviors. A final project studies undergraduate student health behaviors. Tim is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. He leads exercise classes for older adults that focus on maintaining strength, preventing falls, and promoting independent living.
Christine St. Pierre
Start year: 2021 Concentration: Food system Advisor: Jennifer Sacheck
Christie grew up working on a family farm in California, and prior to coming to GW, she worked as a Registered Dietitian to bring more fresh fruits and vegetables to children through school meals. She is interested in studying the intersections between diet-related chronic disease, disparities in food and nutrition security, and food systems. Her research at GW has focused on the food-related experiences of children and youth, including food insecurity and participation in school-based food education programs, and investigating connections between these experiences and dietary intake. She received a USDA NIFA predoctoral fellowship to fund her dissertation work to develop and test a questionnaire to measure food literacy in upper elementary schoolchildren.
Heather Wopat
Start year: 2021 Advisor: Kim Robien
Heather hails from the Mississippi gulf coast and worked as a neuroscience nurse practitioner at NYU Medical Center prior to joining GWU. Her research projects as a Graduate Research Assistant have focused on nutrition, exercise, body composition, and chemotherapy tolerance in people with cancer. For her dissertation, she is studying how liver density, dietary intake, and iron regulation are associated with blood cell counts and chemotherapy receipt in women with breast and gynecological cancers.
Tab 6 Content