Human nutrition internship in North Carolina

The representative of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova – Radu Rusu, Assistant Professor at the Hygiene Discipline within the Department of Preventive Medicine – completed a master's program in the field of human nutrition at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Greensboro, United States of America.

The two-semester program included educational activities related to food culture, vitamins and minerals, as well as nutrition research methodology. Respectively, the Assistant Professor participated in Culinary Medicine classes, exploring techniques for preparing dietary menus for various categories of patients – activities that took place in the kitchen of the Department. Besides, the delegate of our university held two public seminars on "Nutrition in Moldova", through which he promoted national culture and traditions, highlighting the current challenges in the field of nutrition and public health. He also participated in a conference on "Advancing Health Equity Through Culture-Centered Dietary Interventions to Address Chronic Diseases".

At the same time, Radu Rusu completed two research projects in Human Nutrition. The first is "Development of an algorithm to determine the level of serum hepcidin using the predictable capabilities of serum ferritin and C-reactive protein values, in the context of iron-deficiency and inflammatory anemias". The results obtained will be published in the American Society for Nutrition scientific journal. The second study on "Determination of plasma homocysteine concentration by the ELISA laboratory method, in the context of determining the degree of correlation with hepcidin" is also being published.

The University representative had the opportunity to observe the practice of dietitians at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, in the intensive care, cardiology, traumatology and neurology units, as well as to assist in the enteral feeding nasogastric tube insertion procedure with the help of Cortrak device. Respectively, he participated, together with dieticians from the Cone Health Family Medicine Center, in the consultation of outpatients with various chronic pathologies. Moreover, he took part in various social and cultural activities of the Guilford County community in Greensboro, where he gave two presentations at the weekly meetings of the Guilford Rotary Club, being appreciated by its members with the Paul Harris Fellow title. He also delivered a speech at the event dedicated to the development of bilateral partnership relations between the state of North Carolina and the Republic of Moldova, on the 25th anniversary held in the city of Raleigh.

Upon returning home, Radu Rusu reported on the benefits of the program: "I had a vast cultural experience, which enriched me both professionally and personally. Integration into a new academic, technological and sociocultural environment allowed me to broaden my perspective on global practices and challenges not only in the field of nutrition but also in terms of human health as a whole. One of the most valuable aspects was the chance to collaborate and learn alongside experts and professionals in the field of nutrition, to participate in various courses, research projects, conferences, as well as to explore nutritional practices in the clinical environment. All these interactions made me ponder the complexity of nutrition science and its role in preventing non-communicable diseases, maintaining human health and well-being”. In this context, the Assistant Professor suggested to take over the experience of colleagues from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, namely: the development and integration of the Culinary Medicine course into the Human Nutrition program at our university, the organization of weekly seminars inviting nutrition experts and specialists in related domains from various organizational structures to implement the Veggie Meter (VM) technology for educational and research purposes, to determine carotenoids, used as biomarkers for fruit and vegetable intake (a non-invasive research tool that detects and quantifies carotenoids in the skin).

The internship was carried out under the "Visiting Research Scholarship in Nutrition" Program, between August 2023 and May 2024.