Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
Discover how nutrition and exercise affect the human body and its vitality
We believe total wellness means nutrition and exercise. We offer some of the only programs in the region that make you an expert in both. We train alongside doctors and health care providers to heal our communities through food and physical activity. We are future nutrition and exercise professionals—and your future starts here.
Infinite Possibilities
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP) prepares you for a wide range of careers in health care including exercise physiology, dietetics, public health, research, and academia.
Why WSU Nutrition and Exercise Physiology?
An Innovative, Integrative Approach
Unlike traditional departments that separate nutrition and exercise physiology, we have designed an approach that integrates biological studies with relevant social and psychological sciences.
State-of-the-Art Simulation Centers
We integrate simulation-based learning into our curriculum using our state-of-the-art simulation center, which uses advanced technologies and standardized patients to simulate realistic health situations.
Interprofessional Learning Environment
Interprofessional, clinical, and classroom experiences are cornerstones of our curriculum. We are one of the few departments of nutrition and exercise physiology embedded within a school of medicine across the nation, making interdisciplinary learning not only possible but integral to your education.
Our Degree Programs
Get to Know Us
- Located on WSU Spokane campus
- 15,000 sq. ft. of dedicated teaching, research, and office space
- State-of-the-art equipment for laboratory courses, practicums, and research
Thank you for visiting Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP).
We motivate students to become healthcare leaders serving individuals and entire communities. Grounded in a science-based curriculum, the program prepares students through rigorous academics, research, and clinical practice.
Our department recognizes the important connections between proper nutrition and regular physical activity as crucial to the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases across the globe. Although the health benefits of proper nutrition and regular physical activity are well-established, we build on that knowledge by merging both fields of study into a discipline that focuses on improving health outcomes in clinical, community, and population-level settings. Our position within the WSU College of Medicine allows us to play an integral role in training future physicians in a more holistic manner. In addition, our graduate program research tracks enable our faculty and students to disseminate knowledge on the importance of diet and activity in health broadly.
Great things lie ahead for NEP …. So please stay tuned.
Cheers!
Glen E. Duncan, PhD, RCEPSM
Professor and Department Chair
Research
NEP faculty members explore health promotion and disease prevention in clinical, community, and population-level settings.
Areas of inquiry include:
- Effects of built and social environment on lifestyle behaviors and health using twin samples
- Social and behavioral determinants of diet, obesity, and chronic disease
- Relationships between space, place, and health outcomes using geographic information systems
- Investigation of mechanistic links between lifestyle and environmental factors and obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease
Giving
The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology is proud of the students who have graduated from our various academic programs. We want to hear from our alumni, and in turn, want our alumni to know what is happening with us in Spokane and beyond.
Our alumni and friends are invaluable as we strive to redefine education. Gifts to assist our students are always appreciated. Please consider a gift to make a difference for future generations. Gifts support student scholarships and financial aid, student travel expenses to attend professional conferences for presentations and networking, student and faculty research, the purchase of new equipment for laboratories, and recruitment and retention of faculty.