WHO WE ARE

The Department of Tropical Nutrition and Food Science

In 1966, the Department of Tropical Nutrition and Food Science was established with the aims to teach and train postgraduate students, conduct the high quality of research, and provide nutritional knowledge as well as laboratory services in regard to nutritional disorders. The department is located on the 8rd floor of Chamlong-buildings and the 9rd floor of Chalermprakiet 60 years building. The department has research laboratories to facilitate staffs and student, which includes a molecular biology room, vitamin analysis room, a culture room, a cold room facility, a central instrument room and an isotope room. Other sophisticated instruments necessary for the research such as mass spectrometer, P-2 and BSL-3 containment facility and Genome sequencer are available at the center of excellence in tropical diseases.

 

In 1966, the Department of Tropical Nutrition and Food Science was established with the aims to teach and train postgraduate students, conduct the high quality of research, and provide nutritional knowledge as well as laboratory services in regard to nutritional disorders. The department is located on the 8rd floor of Chamlong-buildings and the 9rd floor of Chalermprakiet 60 years building. The department has research laboratories to facilitate staffs and student, which includes a molecular biology room, vitamin analysis room, a culture room, a cold room facility, a central instrument room and an isotope room. Other sophisticated instruments necessary for the research such as mass spectrometer, P-2 and BSL-3 containment facility and Genome sequencer are available at the center of excellence in tropical diseases.

Presently, there have been 7 academic staffs, 8 supportive staffs and 3 consultants in the Department of Tropical Nutrition and Food Science. Academic staffs are responsible for teaching a portion of the curriculum of the international postgraduate programs including the Master and Doctor of Philosophy in Tropical Medicine programs, and the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) program, which have been supported by supportive staffs. Our department’s main mission is to establish the frontier knowledge of scientific researches in the fields of nutrition and food science, which is provided to not only the graduate student but also the public. In addition, the department has established international collaboration with University of Potsdam and Justus Liebig University in Germany, York University in Canada and Brescia University in Italy, and Hokkaido University and Hyogo University in Japan, all of which offer not only education but also research cooperation’s encouragement. We also attempt to assist our students to obtain scholarships, such as the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program from Thailand Research Fund, DAAD, Office of the Higher Education Commission, and Faculty of Tropical Medicine’s scholarship. In 2013, we have had 11 enrolled students including 3 M.Sc. (Trop. Med.) and 8 Ph.D. (Trop. Med.) students.

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HIGH QUALITY

Our Missons & Our
History

 The department has a wide range of ongoing researches consisting of two main parts, which are tropical nutrition and food science. For the tropical nutritional field, we focus on several researches including malnutrition problems, obesity, dislipidemia, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis and epigenetics study in nutrition diseases in vulnerable groups. We also emphasize on the research of the effect of genetic and protein changes in human on the nutritional status. Additionally, we attempt to search for pure natural products and medicinal plants, which have the anti-cholangiocarcinoma, mosquitocidal, anti-HIV and anti-obesity activities. Regarding to the food science field, we currently conduct extensive studies on food microbiology, especially probiotics. Glycosidase enzymes are of great interest to be applied for agriculture and food industry fields. In 2012, totally, we have published 8 research articles in the famous international research journals as well as a research article in a local research journal.

Moreover, the department is also responsible for technical services and distributes the nutritional knowledge to the public. We serve to determine not only vitamin B1, B2 and B6 levels cells by enzymatic methods but also the folic acid level by microbiological method in serum and red blood to efficiently meet the requirements from both government and private-sector hospitals as well as institutions. Annually, we arrange short training courses entitled “Methods in Nutritional Assessment and Research”, which is aimed to educate professional workers in the nutritional field so that they can apply the knowledge from our training courses, initiate and develop their research in hospitals, school canteen, and health centers. In 2012, our staffs are also regularly invited to be guest lecturers, co-advisors, or external examiners for both undergraduate and graduate students at many prestigious institutions, and peer reviewers not only for many famous local and international journals but also for evaluation of various scientific projects.

Based on our history, the heads departments from 1966-present are as followings:

  • Professor emeritus Panata Migasena (1969-1994)
  • Associate Professor Supranee Changbumrung (1994-2002)
  • Professor Songsak Petmitr (2002-2010)
  • Assistant Prfessor Dumrongkiet Arthan (2010-2015 )
  • Associate Professor Karunee Kwanbunjan (2015-2023)
  • Associate Professor Pattaneeya Prangthip (2023 – present)