Leveraging Interdisciplinary Nutritional Knowledge (LINK)

Funder
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Award #2021-77040-34904
LINK Scholar Activities Chart

Program Goals
- Increase number of UR undergraduate and graduate students graduating
- Increase knowledge of nutrition, food and human sciences
- Increase capacity to apply nutritional science and promotion
- Develop leadership abilities
- Increase awareness of nutrition and health sciences/public health majors and careers
- Align HSI efforts to support transfer student academic development and success
Program Activities
Workshops
Three workshops per semester will be scheduled at each community college with information on academic majors at the CSUs, transfer requirements, and LINK Program information open to all students interested in majoring in nutrition, health science/public health or kinesiology.
- Long Beach City College
- November 10, 2021, 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm
- November 15, 2021, 6:00 pm
- Zoom: https://csulb.zoom.us/j/84315100363
View/Download Workshop Flyer (PDF)
- Fullerton College
- November 9, 2021, 7:00 pm
- November 30, 2021 at 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm
- Zoom: https://fullcoll-edu.zoom.us/j/95868685467
View/Download Workshop Flyer (PDF)
- Santa Ana College
- November 4, 2021, 6:00 pm
- November 18, 2021, 12:00 pm
- December 3, 2021 at 9:00 am
- Zoom: https://csulb.zoom.us/j/83256648582
View/Download Workshop Flyer (PDF)
Community College Liaisons
Liaisons at each community college will provide advising, mentorship, and assistance with the transfer process to students majoring in nutrition, health science/public health or kinesiology.
- Long Beach City College
- Jennifer Musick, MPH
Professor, Kinesiology/Health Education Department
JMusick@lbcc.edu
- Jennifer Musick, MPH
- Fullerton College
- Rita Higgins, MPH, RDN
Professor, Department of Nutrition and Foods
RHiggins@fullcoll.edu
- Rita Higgins, MPH, RDN
- Santa Ana College
- Sarah Mathot, MS, RDN
Chair, Food & Nutrition Department
Mathot_Sarah@sac.edu - Jazmin Hurtado
Adjunct Counselor/Professor
Cranium Cafe Online Office
- Sarah Mathot, MS, RDN
Santa Ana College – CSULB
Dietetics_and_Food_Administration - Dietetics (PDF)
Dietetics_and_Food_Administration - Food Science (PDF)
Dietetics_and_Food_Administration - Nutritional Science (PDF)
Health Science - Community Health Education (PDF)
Kinesiology - Exercise Science (PDF)
Kinesiology - Fitness (PDF)
Fullerton College – CSULB
Dietetics and Food Administration - Dietetics (PDF)
Dietetics and Food Administration - Food Science (PDF)
Dietetics and Food Administration - Nutritional Science (PDF)
Health Science - Community Health Education (PDF)
Kinesiology - Exercise Science (PDF)
Kinesiology - Fitness (PDF)
Long Beach Community College – CSULB
An annual one-day summer transfer orientation will be hosted at CSUF and CSULB to inform prospective transfer students of academic resources and student services, and explore the various degree options related to nutrition, health science/public health, and kinesiology.
Coming Summer 2022. Click here to sign up to receive updates.
LINK Scholar Eligibility Criteria
- Enrolled in a nutrition, health science/public health, or kinesiology program;
- Minimum 3.00 GPA;
- Incoming CC transfer or Master’s student;
- U.S. citizen or national; and
- Available for a one-year commitment with enrollment in at least 15 credit hours per semester.
LINK Scholar Activities
- Orientation and Training – One-week summer orientation and training, Dates: August 3 - 5, 8 & 9, 2022
- Learning Community – Three-hour bimonthly meetings throughout the academic year to receive additional training, professional development, advising, and mentoring.
- Leadership Development – Participation and completion of the CSULB Leadership Academy. The Academy requires 6 workshops across one academic year focused on leadership, congruence and commitment, teamwork and communication, understanding conflict and restorative justice, ethical decision making and society, advocacy, and building communities. Scholars will be required to complete a theory-to-practice reflection paper after completing the workshops.
- Research – Ten hours per week of applied research with a faculty mentor during the second semester of participation.
- Summer Experiential Learning Placement (Externship) – Eight-week, 20-hour per week summer externship with identified government, non-profit, or private organizations to apply human nutrition knowledge in professional settings.
LINK Scholar Benefits
- Conduct research with a faculty mentor on campus
- Receive training on Latino nutrition and disease prevention, health interventions, and research methods
- Engage in professional development
- Receive leadership training
- Enhance academic preparation
- Engage in a summer applied field experience
- Receive tuition and fees support for one year and scholarship stipend
Application:
- Complete LINK Fellowship Application on Qualtrics (click on the blue arrow icon at the bottom of this page to continue).
- Unofficial Transcripts from all schools attended.
- One (1) letter of recommendation from a current or former instructor, advisor, or supervisor (submitted by the recommender via this Qualtrics link).
- A Personal Statement (500 words)
- Describe why you are interested in receiving training in Latino nutrition and disease prevention.
- Describe your interest in engaging in public health research. What do you expect to learn?
- Describe how participating in the LINK Program will help your future education and/or career goals.
- Resume or CV (1 page), including college(s) attended, community service/volunteer and work experiences, and extracurricular activities.
*All documents should be legible and clean copies in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF. No pictures of transcripts.
Deadline to apply:
- CSULB Deadline: Extended for ONLY undergraduate students to June 15th, 2022, at 11:59pm
- CSUF Deadline: June 15th, 2022, at 11:59pm
Apply to the Program Letter of Recommendation Submission
Program Dates:
August 3, 2022 - July 31, 2023
Melawhy Garcia, PhD, MPH
CSULB Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Science, CSULB
Melawhy.Garcia@csulb.edu
Lilia Espinoza, MPH, PhD
CSUF Principal Investigator
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health, CSUF
Natalia Gatdula, MPH
Program Manager
Center for Latino Community Health,
Evaluation, & Leadership Training
Natalia.Gatdula@csulb.edu
Selena Nguyen-Rodriguez, PhD, MPH
Evaluator
Associate Professor
Department of Health Science
Selena.Nguyen-Rodriguez@csulb.edu