News & Events

Celebrating class of 2026 MPH, MS, PhD, and GCPD program graduates

UW Food Systems MPH, MS, and GCPD students at 2026 graduation ceremony
Students from the class of 2026 graduating cohort pose for a photo after the Aug. 21 graduation celebration.

Congratulations to students completing Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health graduate programs in 2026. Students from the Master of Public Health, Master of Science, PhD, and Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics (GCPD) were celebrated in a ceremony on Aug. 21 held at the University of Washington wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House.

The event included a reception and poster session giving students an opportunity to present and answer questions about their work.

Liz Kirk, associate dean for education in the School of Public Health opened the ceremony, delivering encouraging words to the graduating students.

Liz Kirk addresses students at the event.

Other faculty participating in the ceremony included FSNH Graduate Program Coordinator Pia Chaparro, Program Director Michelle Averill, and GCPD Director and MPH Program Director Anne Lund.

Faculty, left to right: Pia Chaparro, Liz Kirk, Michelle Averill, and Anne Lund.

Students recognized the outstanding preceptors who have helped guide and inspire them, and thanked them for their mentorship.

Students recognize preceptors during the ceremony.

Closing the ceremony, students Greeshma Gurudatta Mallya, Emma Huynh, and Adrienne Atkins recalled memorable moments from their experiences in the program.

Greeshma
Greeshma Gurudatta Mallya, Emma Huynh, and Adrienne Atkins reflect on their experiences in the program.

Congratulations to all of our graduating students on their hard work and accomplishments! 

Master of Public Health

An asterisk (*) next to a student name designates they completed RDN training in the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics.

Adrienne Atkins* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Farm to Care Centers: Building Local Procurement Resources for the Child and Adult Care Food Program in Washington 
  • Thesis: Living on the Cusp: A Qualitative Exploration of Food Security Transitions in Washington State Households with Children 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Western Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Partners Traineeship 

Elisa Cirigliano* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Creating a Nutrition Policy Toolkit for Community Food Banks and Meal Programs in Seattle, WA 
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Mortar Board Alumni/Tolo Foundation Betty Benson Runstad Scholarship, Ruth E. Ostrander Endowed Scholarship 

Emma Huynh* 

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Disseminating Preventative Health Education to People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Dora Agee Waller Endowed Scholarship 

Fernanda Nunes 

  • MPH Practicum: Decreasing Food Waste at the City of Seattle Summer Meal Service Program 
  • Thesis: Promoting Civic Health in a Polarized Era: Finding Common Ground about the Climate Impact of Meat 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Mortar Board Alumni/Tolo Foundation Betty Benson Runstad Scholarship, UW Graduate School and FSNH Top Scholar Award 

Neelma Skilling*

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: HEART Nutrition Workshop Evaluation and Educational Resource Material Development 
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: UW SPH Grayston-Day Fellowship, UW Graduate School and FSNH Top Scholar Award, Katherine F. Jensen Endowed Fellowship, Ruth E. Ostrander Endowed Scholarship 

Vanessa Tran*

  • MPH Practicum and PH Concentration: Measuring Nutrition Risk Changes of Meals on Wheels & Community Dining Clients in the Greater Seattle Area 
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation Lydia J. Roberts Memorial Scholarship in Public Health Nutrition, UW Graduate School and FSNH Top Scholar Award, Katsumi Higuchi Memorial Scholarship, Ruth E. Ostrander Endowed Scholarship 

Master of Science

An asterisk (*) next to a student name designates they completed RDN training in the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics.

Katie Allen*

  • MNT Concentration: Development of ARFID Following Bariatric Surgery: A Case Study 
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Katherine F. Jensen Endowed Fellowship 

Skyler Austin*

  • MNT Concentration: Optimization of Intravenous Lipid Emulsion Use in Pediatric Patients Receiving Parenteral Nutrition at Harborview Medical Center
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Edith A. Moulton Scholarship, Ruth E. Ostrander Endowed Scholarship 

Greeshma Gurudatta Mallya*

  • MNT Concentration: Assessing Dietitans’ Preparedness for Eating Disorder Care: A Preliminary Needs Assessment
  • Thesis: Beyond the Food Label: Nutrient Profiling the Indian Nutrition Data Bank for Public Nutrition Policy 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Traineeship 

Anna Schwerdfeger*

  • MNT Concentration: Provider Perspectives and Institutional Assets and Barriers to Modifying NICU NG Tube Training for Families at Seattle Children’s Hospital 
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Pediatric Pulmonary Center (PPC) Traineeship 

Gabrielle Siros*

  • MNT Concentration: Validation of Pediatric Micronutrient Supplementation Regimen at Harborview Medical Center 
  • Thesis: Clinical Decision-Making by Registered Dietitians Caring for Patients Who are Obese by BMI in Acute Care: A Qualitative Study 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Carrie Cheney Student Leadership Award, Newton W. and Kathryn Adair Galley Scholarship, Ruth E. Ostrander Endowed Scholarship 

Michaela Skloven*

  • MNT Concentration: Electrolyte Management After Kidney Transplant in Cystinosis 
  • Capstone: Listening to Schools: Insights to Inform the Development of a Toolkit for Implementing the 20-Minute Lunch Duration Rule in Washington State Elementary Schools 
  • Awards and Scholarships: Western Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Partners Traineeship, Beverly Winter-Eben Student Service Award, Ruth E. Ostrander Endowed Scholarship 

PhD 

Norma Garfias Avila 

  • Dissertation: How much do red and processed meats affect our gut health? Investigation of the gut microbiome following randomized controlled diets with and without red and processed meat: the EAT-WELL study 
  • Awards and Scholarships: UW SPH Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, UW School of Medicine Microbial Interactions & Microbiome Center Trainee Program Award, Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (National Council for the Humanities, Sciences and Technologies, Mexico) Foreign Graduate Scholarship, Philanthropic Educational Organization International Peace Scholarship, UW SPH Latino Center for Health Graduate and Professional Student Fellowship 

August 24, 2026