Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society

Nutrition Science Student Recognized for Research Impact With Prestigious Fellowship

Monday, June 21, 2021, By News Staff
Share
Falk College of Sport and Human DynamicsGraduate School
Akriti Shrestha

Akriti Shrestha

Akriti Shrestha, a graduate student in the Falk College nutrition science program, is the recipient of the Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award, presented by the American Society for Nutrition. The prestigious award is presented to only three graduate students in the U.S. every year for research excellence.

As a student, Shrestha investigates how certain nutrients might be used to prevent disease, specifically obesity.

“Obesity is a huge health issue, with more than 42% of the U.S population being either obese or overweight. Obesity increases the risk of other complications like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, mental illness and depression, among others,” explains Shrestha. “Further, if the parents are suffering from obesity, the impact on their children is very high. Proper nutrients could prevent obesity.”

“Currently, I am working on the topic of ‘parental obesity’ where a diet modification in a parent can potentially eliminate the adverse effect of father’s or mother’s obesity on children,” she adds.

Research has been a longtime focus of Shrestha’s academic and professional career. Prior to coming to the University, she performed clinical research in both Nepal and India. “I am from Nepal, the Himalayan nation in South Asia where I grew up and completed my high school,” she says. “I was always interested in studying to understand human health and diseases since my childhood.” This passion led her to pursue her undergraduate education B.Sc. in nursing at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in India. “During that time, I became more inclined towards the preventive approach of diseases, precisely nutrition.” Her newfound enthusiasm led her to earn her M.Sc. in nutrition science at Kanpur University in India. “Nutrition and diet are crucial aspects of human health and in the dynamic world. There is a need for further exploration in order to realize the goal of ‘food as medicine’ in practice.”

Akriti Shrestha working in lab

Shrestha found her way to Falk College and is working to complete her M.S. in nutrition science. “The excellent learning environment, fantastic infrastructure, and diverse student and faculty communities are something that make me very proud to be the part of Syracuse University,” she says.

“The Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award is a very competitive award with only three awards given across the U.S.,” says Latha Ramalingam, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, Falk College. “What makes it even more impressive is that Akriti earned it in her first year as a graduate student. She is a bright mind who will go on to do great things in the future. The faculty and I are very proud of her accomplishment.”

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Calling All Alumni Entrepreneurs: Apply for ’CUSE50 Awards
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • Swinging Into Summer: Syracuse International Jazz Fest Returns With Star Power, Student Talent and a Soulful Campus Finale
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By Kathleen Haley
  • Iran Escalation: Experts Available This Week
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Retiring University Professor and Decorated Public Servant Sean O’Keefe G’78 Reflects on a Legacy of Service
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • SCOTUS Win for Combat Veterans Backed by Syracuse Law Clinic
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette

More In Health & Society

Lab THRIVE: Advancing Student Mental Health and Resilience

Lab THRIVE, short for The Health and Resilience Interdisciplinary collaboratiVE, is making significant strides in collegiate mental health research. Launched by an interdisciplinary Syracuse University team in 2023, the lab focuses on understanding the complex factors affecting college students’ adjustment…

Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention

A book authored by Timur Hammond, associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, received an honorable mention in the 2025 International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) Book Award competition. The awards…

Snapshots From Route 66: One Student’s Journey to Newhouse LA

“If you ever plan to travel west, travel my way, take the highway that’s the best.” It’s been nearly 80 years since Nat King Cole uttered the now famous lyrics, “Get your kicks on Route 66,” but still to this…

Studying and Reversing the Damaging Effects of Pollution and Acid Rain With Charles Driscoll (Podcast)

Before Charles Driscoll came to Syracuse University as a civil and environmental engineering professor, he had always been interested in ways to protect our environment and natural resources. Growing up an avid camper and outdoors enthusiast, Driscoll set about studying…

Major League Soccer’s Meteoric Rise: From Underdog to Global Contender

With the 30th anniversary of Major League Soccer (MLS) fast approaching, it’s obvious MLS has come a long way from its modest beginning in 1996. Once considered an underdog in the American sports landscape, the league has grown into a…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.