Giavanna Gulino is a senior studying Nutrition Science at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS). Gulino engaged in research during her time in the Nutrition Science program, gathering insightful information related to the relationship between nutrition and overall well-being. Read more to learn about Gulino’s experiences in the program and the insight into her research opportunities!
Choosing Pitt
Nutrition science has always been an interest of mine as I learned the importance of nutrition at a very young age. Ever since I was three years old, I have been dancing. Since I was dancing for 20-30 hours a week, understanding nutrition was ideal for me to properly fuel my body. Even now, being a collegiate dancer on the Pitt Dance Team, I am aware of the crucial role food plays in performance. Being a dancer has inspired me to want to study nutrition more in depth and eventually be able to help people understand the vital importance it plays in our lives and all aspects of our body.
Research Experience at Pitt
During my junior year in the program, I was enrolled in “Introduction to Research” and “Nutrition Critical Thinking.” Both classes were taught by Instructor Britney Beatrice. She inspired me to become engaged in research and eventually I was able to work with her on my research. In her classes, I learned how research allows us to explore new emerging topics in nutrition that can have an impact on our health care community. I wanted to generate new knowledge and contribute to improvements in the nutrition field.
My research focuses on determining if there is a relationship between sugar consumption and resting heart rate. After conducting a secondary analysis, we found there was no correlation that was noted between added sugar intake and heart rate (HR). Our findings did suggest that reducing sugar intake may improve health outcomes in the public population. As it relates to the study, looking at sugar intake and HR, nutrition-based interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease risk may be better focused on non-sugar dietary components. Nutrition interventions are a crucial aspect of overall health and chronic disease risk and prevention.
Interdisciplinary Research
Something unique about my experience with research at SHRS is its collaborative nature, which is interdisciplinary in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition. A grant allowed students from different programs to collaborate on a secondary analysis of research. Beatrice selected an Athletic Training master’s student and me to complete this experience as a summer research project. Together with our different expertise in nutrition science and athletic training, we were able to address an emerging issue around nutrition and sports medicine. It was a very stimulating and collaborative environment that encouraged critical thinking and creativity. Overall, having the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to our understanding of the world of nutrition and sports medicine while solving practical problems was both rewarding and something I am very proud of.
We applied to present our findings at a research conference. We were accepted to present our collaborative research at the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association (EATA) Conference. We were also awarded “Best Poster” at the conference.
Future Goals
Upon graduation in April, I aspire to attend graduate school to earn my master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies.
While studying Nutrition Science, I had the opportunity to take the degree requirements while also having the flexibility in my schedule to add classes that are required to apply to physician assistant studies programs. Nutrition Science has helped to create a plethora of knowledge that I will use in my career as I have learned the pivotal role our diet and our food choices play in our overall health and disease prevention.
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To learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science program, check out our webpage or contact Program Director Lori Cherok at lcherok@pitt.edu.