{"id":75003,"date":"2026-03-09T08:30:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T12:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=75003"},"modified":"2026-07-16T08:54:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T12:54:03","slug":"utc-mph-student-chris-walsh-earns-dietetics-honor-through-research-service-and-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/utc-mph-student-chris-walsh-earns-dietetics-honor-through-research-service-and-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC MPH student Chris Walsh earns dietetics honor through research, service and purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Christopher

Chris Walsh, a graduate student in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics program, holds his Outstanding Dietetic Student of the Year award and certificate in a campus teaching kitchen. Photo by Dixie Edmondson.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Chris Walsh was 16, he had questions.<\/p>\n

He liked chemistry. He liked science. But more than anything, he wanted to understand why food seemed to affect him differently than it did other people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a big fan of chemistry,\u201d said Walsh, a graduate student in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s Master of Public Health (MPH) in Nutrition and Dietetics program. \u201cIt was the only thing I cared about in school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really liked the sciences and I was like, \u2018Why is it that I can eat this and this and it affects me in this way?\u2019 Or, \u2018How is it that my health is different if I\u2019m overweight?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up in a low-income household, Walsh said that healthy eating habits were not always easy to maintain. As a teenager weighing around 300 pounds, the Nashville native began making changes with the support of his family.<\/p>\n

Getting healthy was what helped shape his career path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really thought, if I want to know how to help other people and get the kind of help I wanted, then I needed to go learn more,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

This May, Walsh\u2014now 25\u2014will receive his second degree from UTC, having earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in exercise and health science in December 2023.<\/p>\n

Today, he is more than 125 pounds lighter than he was at 16. That change, he said, sharpened his focus on helping others navigate their own health journeys.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Along the way, he has immersed himself in research, community health and leadership within the MPH program, all of which contributed to his recent selection as the Chattanooga Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics\u2019 2025-26 Outstanding Dietetic Student of the Year. The honor recognizes students enrolled in Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics-accredited programs who demonstrate strong academic achievement, leadership and professional potential.<\/p>\n

The Chattanooga-level recognition places him in consideration for the Tennessee Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Student of the Year Award.<\/p>\n

For Walsh, the award was unexpected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d he said. \u201cI was very, very happy. I did not consider that I was going to be nominated. It took me completely by surprise and I was overjoyed when I heard my name.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives me a lot of motivation that the work that I do put in is recognized and that it does mean it is seen by people in the community, both with the people I\u2019ve worked with and others in the same field of nutrition and dietetics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associate Professor Amir Alakaam, director of the UTC MPH program, said the award speaks to more than grades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI nominated Chris Walsh for the Outstanding Dietetics Student Award because of the significant growth, dedication and leadership he has demonstrated throughout his time in the MPH: Nutrition and Dietetics program,\u201d Alakaam said. \u201cChris has shown impressive academic and professional development, particularly in his ability to perform under pressure and continuously improve his skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis achievement reflects the strength of our MPH program in preparing students not only academically, but professionally and ethically for leadership roles in public health. We are incredibly proud of him. Awards like this affirm that our students are making meaningful contributions, and we look forward to seeing the continued impact he will have in the field of public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Certificate<\/p>\n

One of Walsh\u2019s primary projects is research examining how the diets of international college students change after moving to the United States.<\/p>\n

Working about 10 hours a week with Alakaam, he began by reviewing years of published studies and helped identify gaps in the literature.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a research assistant, he has consistently demonstrated intellectual curiosity and integrity,\u201d Alakaam said. \u201cHe took ownership of projects, such as the one related to eating habits of international students in the U.S., and contributed meaningfully to advancing the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walsh has submitted an abstract as first author to the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, the largest annual meeting of nutrition professionals, and is preparing a manuscript for publication.<\/p>\n

Walsh said stepping into research was both exciting and intimidating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was something I was both interested in and anxious about,\u201d he said. \u201cThe idea of doing professional research for my professor was both daunting and something I was like, \u2018I want to gain the skills in this. I want to be better at performing the research.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Research, he said, is central to the profession.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly important,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cWe make all of our decisions through evidence-based research. We rarely try to use individual cases. We go off of empirical evidence where we rank the tiers and we try to make an educated decision based on what we read.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work has broadened his understanding of the barriers international students face. Access to transportation, campus policies regarding cooking facilities and the cost of groceries can all influence dietary habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s these ideas that I\u2019ve just never thought of in ways to solve the issue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While research sharpens his academic skills, community engagement has shaped Walsh in different ways.<\/p>\n

Through MobileMOC, UTC\u2019s mobile health clinic, he has participated in nutrition screenings and counseling for underserved populations in the Chattanooga region. Under Alakaam\u2019s supervision, he has taken on responsibilities that many students do not encounter until later in their training.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very rare for the student to do nutrition counseling,\u201d Alakaam said. \u201cHe stepped up and found out how challenging it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting to be on site and getting to be in the center where I\u2019m actually interacting with them and I\u2019m discussing with them on whatever they\u2019re curious about or whatever issue we\u2019re needing to talk about is a really good experience for me,\u201d Walsh said.<\/p>\n

His long-term plans reflect both personal experience and professional training.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my goal after I graduate is to get more practice as a dietician in a clinical space,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce I build on that, I want to start working on helping low-income areas and people who don\u2019t have great resources to nutrient-dense foods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Alakaam, \u201cHe really likes to serve the underserved population and those who are in need, and I feel like this is what his future should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Walsh, the Chattanooga Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics award is meaningful. But the questions that first drew him to nutrition and dietetics still guide him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known for a long time that I really wanted to be a dietician to help others in the community,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople who don\u2019t have great resources to nutrient-dense foods don\u2019t quite know the guidelines or recommendations. They either aren\u2019t aware of the recommendations or can\u2019t really afford to follow them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be someone who can meet them where they are and help them make changes that actually work for their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Health and Human Performance<\/a><\/p>\n

Master of Public Health<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chris Walsh, a graduate student in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics program, has been named the 2025-26 Outstanding Dietetic Student of the Year by the Chattanooga Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading 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