Healthy Mediterranean Diet to be Focus of New
Master鈥檚 Degrees Linking Nutrition Science & Public Health Strategy, Sustainability
Imperatives, and Culinary Insight
Hyde Park, NY 鈥 Today, the (UB) and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) announced the creation of the (TMC), a joint initiative and new academic center
focused on Mediterranean food, health, and culinary innovation. The
Barcelona-based partnership leverages the strengths of two leading educational
institutions to address vital public health and sustainability issues through
expanded academic, professional, and business collaboration.
The Center will work to preserve
and advance adoption of Mediterranean dietary patterns, focusing on connecting
leading-edge food and nutrition research with culinary, agricultural, and
business innovation. TMC is open to Mediterranean, European, and other
international partners.
The TMC is based at the Food and
Nutrition Campus of the University of Barcelona at Santa Coloma de Gramenet. The Center offers two master鈥檚 degrees with a
focus on the Mediterranean Diet鈥攑ast, present, and future鈥攁nd a proposed
Mediterranean concentration program for CIA bachelor鈥檚 students. The academic
programs at TMC are inspired by the traditional food cultures of the
Mediterranean region and led by faculty from the UB and CIA, in collaboration
with other universities and organizations around the world. The Center will
also develop and conduct joint research projects combining nutrition and
health, sustainability, food experience design, and food preference and food
behavior change.
Through its conferences, symposia,
and digital media initiatives, the Center will host chefs, culinary scholars,
public health leaders, journalists, policy makers, and other international
experts to develop strategies to translate the existing scientific evidence for
the health and sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet into action.
鈥淲hile the Torribera Mediterranean Center will have a strong, physical presence here at the
University of Barcelona, the work of the Center will embrace the entire
Mediterranean Basin and will have impacts internationally as we work with other
collaborators to enhance the health and sustainability of global food systems
and dietary patterns,鈥 says Dr. Joan Elias Garcia, rector of the University of
Barcelona. 鈥淎t the same time, working with our colleagues at The Culinary
Institute of America, we have to redouble our efforts to preserve this gift of
heritage that is the Mediterranean Diet, for this and future generations
worldwide.鈥
鈥淭he traditional Mediterranean
Diet is the most heavily researched and documented cultural model for healthy
eating,鈥 says CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan. 鈥淭his
ground-breaking academic center will, for the first time, bring together
academics, chefs, other professionals, and business leaders from around the
world to accelerate positive impacts tied to this delicious UNESCO Intangible
Cultural Heritage. As part of our continuing global outreach, we are honored to
co-launch this partnership with the University of Barcelona to underscore the
enhanced role that interdisciplinary scholarship, translational research, and
marketplace innovation needs to play in advancing healthy, sustainable food
choices.鈥
The development of the Center and
its programs will be guided by three stakeholder councils: leading scientists
and technical experts from around the world (Scientific and Technical Advisory
Council); chefs, food critics, regional cooks, food studies scholars, and other
food and drink experts (Culinary and Foods Studies Council); and
representatives of top Mediterranean institutions, companies, and producers in
agriculture, food, beverage, public health, and other hospitality disciplines
(Business Leadership and Innovation Council).
For more information, or to
register for the master鈥檚 degree program at the Torribera Mediterranean Center (TMC), please visit , e-mail tmc.ub.cia@ub.edu, or call +34 93 403 90 39.
Photo
Caption and Hi-Res Image:
The Culinary Institute of America
and the University of Barcelona are partnering to create master鈥檚 degree
programs focusing on the Mediterranean Diet. The initiative, called the Torribera Mediterranean Center (TMC), will be based in Barcelona. The TMC will also be home to a planned
semester-abroad program for bachelor's students at the CIA. (Photo credit: Torribera Mediterranean Center)
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Writer
845-451-1372
Jeff.Levine@culinary.edu
About the University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is the top public university in Catalonia
in size of student population, around 64,000, and course offerings, with 73
bachelor degrees, more than 150 university master degrees and 48 doctoral programs.
It holds the first position at a state level in scientific performance, with
45,796 published articles, according to 2016 data from the Spanish Foundation
for Science and Technology (FECYT), which makes it the main research center in
Spain and one of the most important ones in Europe, both for the amount of
research projects鈥892 in 2015鈥攁nd the obtained excellence in this field.
The University of Barcelona is the leading higher education institution
at a state level in the main international rankings. It is the only Spanish
university to hold a position among the top 200 universities worldwide in the
Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)鈥攎ore known as the Shanghai
Ranking. The UB is also the top Spanish university in the QS World University
Rankings 2016鈥2017 and listed among the top 200 universities worldwide. It also
stands out in employability, as the second state university and listed among
the top 70 universities worldwide according to the 2017 QS Graduate
Employability Rankings. Regarding innovation, it holds the first position at a
state level and among the top 100 according to the ranking Reuters Top 100:
Europe鈥檚 Most Innovative Universities.
A member of one of the most important excellence university networks at
a global scale, such as the League of European Research Universities (LERU),
the University of Barcelona has 301 consolidated research groups, and according
a report by BiGGAR Economics, an impact of 1.400
million euros in Catalan gross value added (GVA)鈥攚hich represents 0.72% of the
total Catalan GVA鈥攁nd a direct impact on 21,870 job positions (data from 2014).
In 2016, Times Higher Education included the University of Barcelona among the
world top 25 universities with more than 400 years of history. For more
information, visit .
About The Culinary Institute of America
Widely recognized as the world鈥檚 premier culinary college, the CIA has
an international reputation for excellence. The college has played a pivotal
role in shaping the future of foodservice and hospitality education, and has
had a significant impact on the growth and development of these industries.
Founded in 1946, the CIA offers master鈥檚, bachelor鈥檚, and associate
degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, food business
management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies.
The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses
for professionals and enthusiasts. The CIA鈥檚 conferences, leadership
initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA a think tank of the food
industry and its worldwide network of more than 50,000 alumni includes
innovators in every sphere of the food world.
Advancing public health has long been a focus of the CIA: Its Menus of
Change initiative, a joint project with the Harvard University T.H. Chan School
of Public Health鈥擠epartment of Nutrition, is now a
critical reference for foodservice sector strategy integrating optimal
nutrition, environmental sustainability, culinary insight, and new business models.
The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a
joint initiative of the CIA and Stanford University鈥攍ed by Stanford Prevention
Research Center (Stanford Medical School) and Stanford Dining鈥攆urther leverages
this work in collaboration with 50 leading universities in the U.S., Asia, and
Europe (including the University of Barcelona) through integrated,
campus-centric research and education.聽 A
further partnership between the CIA and the University of California, Davis鈥擳he
Healthy Flavors Research Initiative鈥攆ocuses on innovation at the intersection
of culinary insight, sensory science, and behavioral design.
The CIA has U.S. campuses in New York, California, and Texas. The CIA
Singapore offers the college鈥檚 renowned education in Asia.
About TMC Initial, Joint UB-CIA
Academic Offerings
Master in Mediterranean Diet: Food, Health, and
Nutritional Gastronomy
Faculty of Medicine and Health Science,
University of Barcelona in collaboration with the faculty of The Culinary
Institute of America. November 5, 2018鈥揓une 28, 2019. The learning objectives of this
master鈥檚 program include: to deepen knowledge of the Mediterranean diet and
food systems of the region as a model of healthy eating; to understand the
impact of this diet on the prevention and the treatment of chronic diseases; to
introduce health professionals to both traditional and innovative culinary
practices of the Mediterranean; and to enrich understanding of the development
of public health strategies to preserve and enhance the strength of these
dietary patterns in society.
Master in Mediterranean Diet: Food, Culture, and
Culinary Innovation
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science,
University of Barcelona in collaboration with the faculty of The Culinary
Institute of America. January 9, 2019鈥揓une 28, 2019. The learning objectives of
this master鈥檚 program include: to broaden knowledge of the historical and
anthropological antecedents of Mediterranean food systems, the birth of the
global, modern concept of the healthy Mediterranean diet, and the culinary
cultures of the Mediterranean area as a sustainable dietary model; to
understand the interplay between the Mediterranean diet and the evolution of
culinary techniques, restaurant concepts and structures, food product
development and retail, agricultural innovation, and communication patterns;
and to explore patterns of globalization and adaptation of the Mediterranean
model.
Mediterranean Cuisines Concentration
Faculty of the School of Culinary Arts, The Culinary Institute of
America in collaboration with the faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science,
University of Barcelona. The proposed concentration (now in development) would
run for 13 weeks in the fall and spring semesters. This immersive semester-away
concentration, designed for bachelor鈥檚 students from The Culinary Institute of
America, will provide an in-depth focus on the Mediterranean diet and the
cuisines and cultures of the Mediterranean region. Through kitchen, classroom,
and field work鈥攖ogether with regional travel鈥攕tudents will benefit from an
unparalleled academic experience discovering the food cultures of Southern
Europe, North Africa, and the Levant.
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