Community Engagement
The Special Olympics Rio Grande Valley Area Athletics Competition Spring Games 2023!
The Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) and Nutrition/Dietetics (NUTR/DIET) students attended the Special Olympics 2023 Spring Games on April 21-21, 2023 at Bill Pate Stadium in Hidalgo, TX.
NUTR/DIET students showed them how to make healthy trail mix and was the popular one, while the MLS students tested finger stick glucose level and not as popular. All students interacted with athletes and family/caregivers and had fun!
Learn more about our Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) Programs and Nutrition/Dietetics Programs.
Medical Laboratory Science Programs:
- Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science
- Master of Science in Health Science, Concentration in Medical Laboratory Sciences
Nutrition/Dietetics Programs:
- Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences Program
- Master of Science in Health Science, Concentration in Nutrition
- Master of Science in Dietetics
Caring for the Valley
Caring for the Valley is a UTRGV organization that helps low-income and underserved communities. Our BMED students helped prepare packages containing hygiene products and food supplies that will be delivered to the local homeless community. Packages were delivered on March 3, 2023 at the Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville.
Dietetics and Medical Laboratory Science graduate students Karla Zurita and Jackie Reyes provided nutrition education at the Texas Onion Fest in Weslaco, March 25, 2023. Participants enjoyed the spin the wheel nutrition trivia game. Great job!
Learn more about our Graduate programs
Master of Science in Dietetics Program
Master of Science in Health Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences
UTRGV hosts health day for more than 700 pre-K students
Dr. Salinas' research group sponsored a 700+ preschool student health fair at our UTRGV gym facilities over the course of 2 days. They taught 4-year-olds about proper nutrition as well as the importance of physical activity. They had 15 BS-Nutritional Sciences and MS in Dietetics students over the 2 days and they executed our 'nutrition stations.' The students really stood up to the challenge and did a great job!
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UTRGV hosted a two-day health fair, March 9-10, on the Edinburg Campus for more than 700 pre-K students, all from PSJA, to help make an early impact on their nutrition, fitness and hygiene habits. The South Texas Early Prevention Studies (STEPS) research group, from the UTRGV College of Health Affairs, hosted the health fair as part of a curriculum focused on obesity-reduction. |
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The students were split over two days. On both days, STEPS hosted half of the students in a health fair at the HPE II gymnasium, and the other half outside on the UTRGV track and field. After lunch, the groups swapped activities. |
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The outside group was led by students from the UTRGV departments of Health and Human Performance and Kinesiology, in field day activities like potato sack races, dances and fitness games. |
| (UTRGV Photos by David Pike) | |
Little Marco Alvarado is still in pre-K at PSJA, but he gets it. “My dad is strong and I’m strong!” he said. “And bad food will make your tummy hurt!”
He heard that valuable nutrition lesson reinforced during a special health fair hosted Thursday and Friday by UTRGV on the Edinburg Campus: Good food, like fruits and vegetables, will make him grow big and strong.
The two-day health fair was designed to make an early impact on the nutrition, fitness and hygiene habits of hundreds of pre-K children from the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district.
The South Texas Early Prevention Studies (STEPS) research group, from the UTRGV College of Health Professions, invited 750 PSJA pre-K students and their parents to participate in the health fair as part of a curriculum focused on obesity-reduction. Called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-ED) project, it is a multi-pronged approach that helps children learn how to make healthy choices.
Read the full articles here:
THE NEWSROOM - UTRGV hosts health day for more than 700 pre-K students
ValleyCentral.com - UTRGV: 2 day health fair for PSJA ISD pre-K students
FALL 2022 semester
The NUTR 3357 course under Professor Norma Beardwood-Roper, has a new component in which each student is assigned a reservist in the local community to assess and guide/motivate over the course of 10 weeks a change in lifestyle to assist them with achieving a reduction in their weight or taping so they can meet the military criteria.
It has been identified the reservists that were at the highest risk for being signed out of the military, was due to lack of progress in reducing their weight/taping measurements. The students were prepared to work with an assigned reservist. They initially gathered data to complete the nutrition assessment, develop a nutrition diagnosis and then work with the reservists to motivate them to change their lifestyle. This may include motivational counseling, looking for recipes, discussing benefits of food prep, how to eat at restaurants (what to order) and encouraging physical activity. Each week the student contacts the reservist at his/her convenience and guide them to make better choices in their daily living. The students have learned a lot by doing this and it will help them when they have to go out in the community to work with people regarding lifestyle changes.