Pair of CWU human nutrition graduates honored at international conference

Central Washington University's human nutrition program further enhanced its reputation as one of the best in the country this spring, with two of its graduate students earning industry awards for their outstanding work.

In early June, recent human nutrition graduates Leah Dambacher and Marissa Miles were recognized for their research at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) international conference in Denver. Dambacher received the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) Young Scholar Award and Miles was presented with the ACSM Nutrition Interest Group Award - the first time two CWU students have been honored at the conference.

"Leah and Marissa model extraordinary teamwork, community service, and excellence," said CWU Associate Professor of Nutrition and Exercise Science Kelly Pritchett, who has mentored both women over the past two years. "They have a great blend of academics and practical experience-meaning, they are highly personable and have the essential quality of being 'coachable.'"

Both graduates have been researching low energy availability (LEA) alongside Pritchett since 2021, with Dambacher focusing on LEA in female collegiate runners and Miles tracking LEA in female recreational runners. LEA has been shown to affect every system in the body, leading to slowed metabolism, disordered eating, lack of menstruation, bone injuries, stress fractures, and other physiological ailments.

"I was shocked when I heard that I received the GSSI award," said Dambacher, who also earned the Poster Presentation Award from the Sports and Human Performance Nutrition practice group this spring for her LEA research. "This award is only given to two people every year, so I feel very honored."

Miles was equally surprised by her recognition at ACSM, noting that she only applied so she could present her research and get the information out to more people. She had no idea her work would receive this level of positive attention.

"This award gives me a lot of confidence as I get ready to start my career," she said. "It was an amazing feeling to have so many people come up to me and ask about my research. I got to have meaningful conversations with people I really look up to, and it feels awesome to now be considered an expert on this subject."

Pritchett spoke to the importance of the research Dambacher and Miles have been doing, noting that there is limited scientific literature available that examines the fueling habits and risk of LEA in female runners. The work being done by the two CWU graduates will add to the body of literature and highlight the risk of under-fueling, with the goal of advancing nutrition education and recommendations for this group.

"This recognition is huge for the dietetics and IHP program at CWU, in that we have students being recognized at an international conference," Pritchett said, adding that she hopes her students' success will help the master's program recruit new students. "As their mentor, I am so proud of their work!"

Dambacher and Miles said they are equally proud of the notoriety that accompanied their ACSM awards; they also appreciated the financial boost. Being selected for the awards covered their travel expenses to Denver and put their work in front of respected researchers from across the country.

"Some of the experts I was presenting to were cited in my research, but I had no idea what they looked like or what their personalities were like," Miles said. "Now, they're no longer just names on a piece of paper; they are my peers. Honestly, I was a little starstruck by the whole experience."

Dambacher also felt a sense of validation answering questions from nutrition and dietetics experts. After studying the effects and prevalence of LEA for the past two years, she said she was honored to be included among the industry's most well-respected scientists.

"It was really cool to get that kind of recognition," she said. "We saw our names all over the place, and we kind of felt like celebrities for a couple of days."

During her time at ACSM, Dambacher connected with a scientist from the GSSI-a world leader in sports science research-and learned more about the type of work she may eventually pursue in her career.

"It was really interesting to learn about the work the GSSI dietitians do in the lab," she said. "They run a multi-component program and work directly with athletes, which is the kind of work I want to do."

Miles also left the conference inspired as she prepares to start her position as an outpatient registered dietitian at the Center for Discovery in Tacoma. After six years at CWU, she looks forward to whatever challenges lie ahead in her career.

"I feel like CWU has prepared me really well," said Miles, who earned her BS in food science and nutrition from Central in 2020. "Being a graduate teaching assistant gave me a chance to work with athletes, but it also set me up well to work with the general population. Now I'm excited to put everything I have learned into practice."