Recent research on the genetic, environmental, behavioral, and social determinants of human diseases has focused attention on the integral role of nutrition in disease epidemiology. Advances in basic nutritional sciences have identified new mechanisms of biological action of the essential nutrients and other components of foods. There is increasing evidence for the efficacy of a wide variety of medical nutrition therapies for the prevention and treatment of many chronic and infectious diseases and their complications. The importance of nutrition in individual and population health throughout the human life cycle, particularly into advanced age, is increasingly recognized. New methods in nutritional epidemiology have expanded research on the relationship among diet, nutritional status, disease risk, and health outcomes. Evidence is emerging that public health nutrition interventions and health communication campaigns, consistent with national health policies, are effective in promoting and improving the nation’s health and that of vulnerable population subgroups. The concentration in Medical Nutrition Sciences will provide multidisciplinary training in nutrition sciences.