Certificate program focuses on critical role of food security

January 27, 2015

Breakfast, lunch, dinner – everybody eats. But how much do most of us really think about food, how it reaches our tables and how it affects us?

Factors that impact our world’s food supply and health – from environment/agriculture, animal health, food safety and distribution to rural development, climate and weather – are far-reaching and significant.

Through a new program launching this summer at UNT Health Science Center, students can now pursue a Graduate Certificate in Food Security and Public Health to study the important issues related to bringing safe, nutritious foods to populations around the globe.

UNTHSC’s School of Public Health is the first in Texas to offer a certificate program in this field of study.

Katherine Fogelberg, DVM, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, says the issues surrounding food safety and security cross a wide variety of professions and interests.

“Veterinarians study the role of animals in public health, while law enforcement and emergency management professionals consider the risks to food supply from bioterrorism, other threats and disasters,” she said.

“Dieticians and public health workers address food borne illnesses, food safety and the standards of food delivery. From agriculture to the health and wellness industry – even to our daily news – public concerns around global malnutrition, hunger-related conditions, obesity, healthy diet and access to fresh foods continue to rise, both in our local communities and beyond.”

The certificate program is designed for working adults who hold a bachelor’s degree and are seeking career expansion in nutrition, dietetics, emergency management, law enforcement, animal or agricultural sciences, veterinary studies and/or public health. Classes can be taken entirely online and completed within one year.

For more information on the program, visit the UNTHSC School of Public Health website.