“While lifestyle factors are not habitually the focus of research projects, capturing habitual dietary intake and related demographic characteristics can enhance the capacity to account for potential confounding factors and/or allow for an independent effect assessment. Forethought can result in garnering useful data without a substantial increase in participant burden.”

Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSC
Professor, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA)

Overview

Tufts University is unique in terms of strengths in nutrition research, home to both the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and the The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Over the past few years the domain of nutrition has expanded within Tufts CTSI.

There are two self-paced, nutrition-related modules (see below under Workshops and Courses) offered through the Tufts CTSI I LEARN website. Community outreach activities related to better understanding Trust in Science, or the lack thereof, initially around food and nutrition, have also been successfully launched.

Nevertheless, opportunities to incorporate such activities as an assessment of diet quality or attitudes about food and nutrition, particularly in a clinical research setting, are frequently underutilized. Investigators are available to consult on potential approaches to expand the scope of research projects.

Services

Developing evaluations (typically no cost):

  • Defining program goals and evaluation questions
  • Developing logic models and conceptual frameworks
  • Designing outcome and process evaluation studies
  • Developing funding proposals

Conducting evaluations (typically fee-based):

  • Data collection (interviews, focus groups, surveys)
  • Descriptive data analysis (qualitative and quantitative)
  • Interpreting results and generating evidence-based recommendations
  • Report writing and manuscript development
  • Presenting results

Who is eligible?

Researchers, community members, and others affiliated with a Tufts CTSI partner organization can request support by submitting a service request. Initial consultations are provided at no cost.

Subsequent involvement will be determined thereafter.

To learn more, please submit a service request.

Nutrition Intervention Research Project (NURISH)

Tufts CTSI partnered with the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) to develop best-practice guidelines for conducting human nutrition research. The goal of this NUtrition InteRvenIon ReSearcH project is to minimize barriers that impede the translation of human nutrition research into public policy by motivating the research community to adopt practices that will result in better clinical studies.

This work is led by Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, Leader of the HNRCA, Diet and Chronic Disease Prevention Directive and Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Development of the CTSI I LEARN nutrition module is ongoing in collaboration with the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior.

The outcome of the project was a series of peer-reviewed manuscripts that document best practices for RCT study design and conduct, documentation and regulation, and data analysis and reporting. These publications were disseminated across the national Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Consortium.

Workshops and Courses

Select Publications

Contact

To learn more or request services, please submit a service request.

Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSC, Professor, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA)