title: Graduate level training in nutrition: an integrated model for capacity building- a national report.
abstract: Iran has been active in human nutrition training for the past five decades, but the existing curricular programs do not equip the graduates with the knowledge and skills required for solving food security and nutritional problems of the country. Given this, the Nutrition Department (ND) of Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) initiated a curricular reform to develop responsive graduate programs in key areas of nutrition that fill the existing gaps in nutrition training with the goal of improving nutrition policy-making and program development, implementation and evaluation. ND called for a request for proposals for a project entitled "Graduate Level Training in Nutrition". Specifically, with technical assistance from leading academic institutions in Asia, North America and UK, seven new graduate programs were housed in three separate institutions, but coordinated so that together they form a broad multidisciplinary resource for graduate education and research. These seven-degree programs are MSc and PhD in Molecular/Cellular Nutrition, MSc and PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology, MSc and PhD in Food Policy and Nutrition Intervention, and MSc in Community Nutrition. The programs were prepared in collaboration and active participation of selected faculty members of the three Iranian universities, International Union of Nutritional Sciences and the University of Philippines at Los Baños. The development of these programs was made possible through a loan from the World Bank, under the Second Primary Health and Nutrition Project in the MOHME.
authors.affiliation: Section of Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Robabeh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sheikholeslam
authors.affiliation: Section of Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ghassemi
authors.affiliation: UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Galal
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Abolghassem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Djazayery
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Omidvar
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biochemistry, Faculty of Paramedics, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Issa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nourmohammadi
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Nutrition Sciences, University of Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB), Los Banos, Philippines.
authors.forename: Ma Antonia G
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tuazon
keywords: Graduate Level Training; Iran; Nutrition