About Us

McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston is one of the top ten largest MD-granting medical schools in the nation, hosting 240 students in each class year. We appreciate the incredible leadership support in strengthening our students’ nutrition readiness and the school’s alignment with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) curriculum goals.

Our Mission

Empower students to address chronic disease through nutrition, while also building long-term competencies in preventive care, patient engagement, and cost-effective treatment.

Why Nutrition Matters

More than 70% of chronic diseases—including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity—are directly related to diet and lifestyle. Yet, despite the central role of nutrition in preventing and managing these conditions, there remains a well-documented gap between what patients need in terms of dietary guidance and the training most physicians receive in medical school.

Food for Thought

To gauge these novel nutrition education efforts, the course will be supported by a robust evaluation framework to assess its impact on learner outcomes and clinical competencies. This includes evaluating nutrition knowledge, cooking confidence, and counseling skills among trainees.

With faculty leaders and culinary medicine instructors, Dr. Rupa Mahadevan (Department of Pediatrics) and Dr. Victoriano Valdez (Department of Internal Medicine), McGovern champions a joint collaboration with the Nourish Program to provide students with a unique perspective to healthy eating and positions the institution as a leader in innovative medical education.

Explore UTHealth Houston School of Public Health’s Nourish website to learn more about our key partners and personnel.

Contact Us

[email protected]

[email protected]

McGovern Medical School

Victoriano Valdez, MD

Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
view profile of Dr. Valdez

Rupa Mahadevan, MD

Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
view profile of Dr. Mahadevan

Nourish Program Faculty and Staff

Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, RDN, LD, CNS, FISBNPA

Director, Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, Nourish Program
Regional Dean, UTHealth School of Public Health in Austin

Melisa Danho, MPH, RD, LD

Director, Dietetic Internship
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

Diana Guevara, MPH, RD, LD

Nutritionist Supervisor, Nourish Program
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

Dolores Woods, MA, RDN, LD

Supervisor, Nutrition Nourish Program
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD

Professor, Vice-Chair of Epidemiology
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

Mallika Mathur, PhD

Post-Doctoral Fellow
Center for Healthy Communities
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health