SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The University of Bridgeport Human Nutrition Institute today announced that an annual academic merit scholarship in clinical nutrition has been established in honor of Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D., FACN, CNS, chief science officer for Metagenics, Inc., a nutrigenomics and lifestyle medicine company dedicated to reducing chronic illness and improving health. “The Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. Merit Scholarship in Clinical Nutrition” honors Dr. Bland’s work in and dedication to the science and clinical application of nutrition and the education of healthcare practitioners.
“Dr. Jeffrey Bland is a pioneering forward thinker in clinical nutrition and science whose work has changed the way medicine is practiced, today and in the future,” said David M. Brady, ND, DC, CCN, DACBN, director of the University of Bridgeport Human Nutrition Institute. “He has influenced a new generation of physicians, nutritionists and other healthcare providers to literally think a different way about how and why they practice their craft and to incorporate the science of nutrigenomics — the relationship of food and gene expression — in their work. We at the University of Bridgeport Human Nutrition Institute can think of no greater way to honor Dr. Bland than to name a scholarship after him that furthers the education of a deserving future nutritionist.”
“I am honored and very gratified that this scholarship will help students understand the field of nutrition and its value in health and medicine,” said Dr. Bland. “Today, most physicians and other health care practitioners are not trained to counsel their patients on nutrition and lifestyle change and are more accustomed to prescribing drugs for people with lifestyle-related conditions. This scholarship offers students the ability to change all this. These future practitioners will be equipped to prescribe food as medicine and address the root causes of chronic disease, instead of merely treating the symptoms of these conditions.”
The scholarship will award one prospective student pursuing the on-campus Master of Science degree in human nutrition $5,000 to $6,000 a year for the duration of his or her program.
The human nutrition program at the University of Bridgeport Human Nutrition Institute provides a biochemical and physiological study of nutrition and its role in health and disease.
Dr. Bland is a prominent researcher and educator for the science of nutrigenomics, the study of how nutritive substances and phytochemicals affect genetic expression within human cells. He currently serves as the chief science officer for Metagenics and is the president of Metagenics’ wholly-owned subsidiary, MetaProteomics Nutrigenomics Research Center. The Center’s research has been published in numerous journals and periodicals. In addition to his leadership role at Metagenics, Dr. Bland lectures around the world on human nutrition and nutrigenomics. Some of his other achievements include the establishment of The Institute for Functional Medicine and helping to found Bastyr University. Dr. Bland also established the Natural Products Quality Alliance, a group of natural food products industry leaders, to develop the first quality assurance document for the industry and providing written and oral testimony during a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on the role of integrative medicine and health care reform. Dr. Bland is the recipient of the 2011 Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award.
Prospective students can apply for the Jeffrey Bland scholarship by submitting an essay describing their personal, financial, and/or academic circumstances that warrant receipt of the scholarship, why they have chosen this profession and reasons they believe the University of Bridgeport is the ideal educational institution for them.
For more information about The University of Bridgeport Human Nutrition Institute, visit www.bridgeport.edu, for more information about Metagenics, visit www.metagenics.com; and for more information about Dr. Bland’s career, visit www.jeffreybland.com.
About Metagenics, Inc.
Metagenics, Inc. (www.metagenics.com) is a nutrigenomics and lifestyle medicine company focused on reversing chronic illness and improving health. Founded in 1983, Metagenics serves more than 75,000 healthcare providers worldwide through premium quality, science-based medical foods, nutritional formulas, and lifestyle therapy programs to help their patients achieve a lifetime of good health. Metagenics’ scientific staff—among the largest in the nutrigenomics industry—has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been awarded more than 50 international or domestic patents. The company’s educational arm, Metagenics University, collaborates with renowned medical experts to annually deliver more than 200 events designed to help healthcare professionals stay on the leading edge of lifestyle medicine and incorporate nutrition into their clinical practice.
Metagenics maintains its corporate headquarters in San Clemente, CA; R&D headquarters in Gig Harbor, WA; and operating subsidiaries in Brussels, Belgium and Brisbane, Australia.