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Nutritional Biology Graduate Admissions Pathways Program
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Nutritional Biology Graduate Admissions Pathways Program

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Welcome to NUTGAP

Nutritional Biology Graduate Admissions Pathways Program

The challenge

Disparities in health and disease among various segments of the population have increasingly become a major focus of public health research, practice, and policy. Diet is a key contributor to disparities in many chronic diseases and conditions. Therefore, to address and ultimately eliminate health disparities, it is important to understand how diet and nutrition contribute to these disparities.

How we address it

The Nutritional Biology Graduate Admissions Pathways (NUTGAP) program provides students from Fort Valley State University and Savannah State University with experience in nutritional biology research with UC Davis faculty, professional development, and long-term mentoring with a goal of increasing the number of their alumni who pursue graduate degrees and research careers in nutritional biology.

For more information about NUTGAP, first browse these pages. For questions not addressed here, contact the following faculty:

  • UC Davis Program Director Gerardo Mackenzie (ggmackenzie@ucdavis.edu)
  • at Fort Valley State University, Drs. Celia Dodd (doddc@fvsu.edu) or Tiffani Holmes (holmest@fvsu.edu)
  • at Savannah State University, Drs. Teresa Shakespeare (shakespearet@savannahstate.edu) or Takayuki Nitta (nittat@savannahstate.edu).
smiling student at lab bench

Student-centered

Program

Mentored independent research and workshops prepare undergraduates for careers and PhD study in nutritional biology.

Explore what we do
armload of veggies rich in anthocyanin

What we study

Research

Nutritional biology research ranges from the role of diet in chronic disease to policies that affect maternal and child nutrition

Help us do the science
bike and student on bench in summer

About us

UC Davis

UC Davis, home of a diverse and vibrant community, has a rich tradition of teaching, research, and serving the public

Learn about our campus

Fall 2025 campus visits

To learn more about the NUTGAP program and UC Davis, please join our amazing students during the fall 2025 recruiting visit.

At FVSU:

At SSU:

Download our seminar talk

Coming soon!

The Nutritional Biology Graduate Admissions Pathways Program is supported by the University of California HBCU Initiative Program. 

For questions, please email Professor Gerardo Mackenzie, ggmackenzie@ucdavis.edu, with "NUTGAP question" in the subject line.

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