The Cornell/Division of Nutritional Sciences Post-baccalaureate Program in Health Studies
August 2009-May 2010
Faculty
This program features faculty from the Division of Nutritional Sciences (DNS), a unit in Cornell's College of Human Ecology and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The Division of Nutritional Sciences (DNS) at Cornell University is among the largest academic units in the United States devoted to human nutrition. The DNS' missions and scholarly activities integrate knowledge from the physical, biological, and social sciences in the areas of molecular, human, international, and community nutrition.
A focus of the academic programs of DNS is to encourage students to critically interpret research from the laboratory and the field and apply it to societal issues, government policy, and people's everyday lives. DNS has been successfully preparing students for careers in the health professions since its formation, and has launched the Cornell/DNS Certificate in Health Studies program to expand its offerings to include students who need to improve their credentials and obtain prerequisites such as a year of anatomy and physiology for admission to professional schools.
Professor Virginia Utermohlen, MD
Professor Virginia Utermohlen, MD
The Cornell/DNS Certificate in Health Studies program is led by Professor Virginia Utermohlen, MD. Dr. Utermohlen teaches NS 5410-5411 and NS 5200.
She is a Board-certified pediatrician and obtained her medical degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. After completing her training, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the Rockefeller University in immunology. She is currently Associate Professor in Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences.
Dr. Utermohlen has extensive teaching experience, with particular emphasis on teaching human anatomy and physiology and the role of nutrition in disease. She also co-taught a course in the humanities, Mind and Memory, in which she brought together history, literature, and the arts to bear on our understanding of human health and well-being. She has won numerous teaching awards, including the Human Ecology Kappa Omicron Nu Distinguished Teaching Award and the State University of New York Chancellors Award for Excellence in Teaching, and was chosen by Merrill Presidential Scholars as their most influential mentor.
Since coming to Cornell, Dr. Utermohlen has focused on advising students interested in health care. She is a member of Cornell's Healthcare Advisory Network, Health Professions Advisory Board, and Health Care Evaluation Committee, and is Faculty Pre-med Advisor for the College of Human Ecology.
Dr. Utermohlen has been exploring new approaches to encourage "deep learning," in other words, learning that emphasizes critical thinking and that leads to long-term retention and the ability to use the knowledge to solve problems in novel situations—precisely the kind of learning that is critical to healthcare professionals. The design of the coursework in NS 5410-5411 and NS 5200 and the use of a specially designed classroom will help to enhance your performance not just in these courses, but through adoption of a deep-learning approach, your performance throughout your career as well.