2025
Emily Cheng
Nutritional Biochemistry & Metabolism Major, Chemistry and English Double Minor
Some of the most meaningful aspects of my college experience have been the intersection of nutrition, education, and community service. Beyond research and clinical exposure, my role as a volunteer at the CWRU Community Pantry has deepened my passion for addressing food insecurity and food waste. These experiences have strengthened my ability to communicate and connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds while enhancing my awareness of the systemic barriers to accessing nutritious food. I was inspired to volunteer at the Pantry as I wanted to give back to the community that helped me in my time of need for fresh produce and food.
My role as a TA for Case Cooks heightened my awareness of the power of food in fostering connection. I witnessed the joy that came from students sharing meals they prepared at the end of each class period, demonstrating how food serves not only as nourishment but also as a means of strengthening relationships. My experiences volunteering at Cedarwood Hospice further reinforced this understanding. Assisting residents with their meals and encouraging communal dining helped create a warm, supportive environment, particularly for those who felt isolated due to medical conditions.
At the pantry, I engage with people weekly, helping them find what they need and ensuring they feel supported. I was pleased to see the number of pantry-goers grow over time as more people became aware of available resources. In Fall 2024, as a TA for the Community Nutrition section of Case Cooks with Professor Helen Dumski, I spoke with students about food insecurity on campus and the critical role nutrition accessibility plays in overall health. This experience was incredibly rewarding, allowing me to bridge academic knowledge with real-world application.
These experiences have shaped my perspective on healthcare, emphasizing that it extends beyond the clinical setting. Working directly with food pantry clients has underscored the importance of meeting people where they are. Moving forward, I hope to incorporate my background in nutrition into patient care, advocating for preventive approaches that highlight the importance of diet and access to wholesome foods. Volunteering at the CWRU Community Pantry and advocating against food insecurity has shown me how small actions can create meaningful change.
2024
Isaac Alexander
Nutritional Biochemistry & Metabolism Major, Biology and Chemistry Double Minor
During my time at CWRU, I founded and led CWRUfit, a health and wellness club aimed at fostering a fitness community on campus. As President, I revitalized the club, establishing its mission to promote healthy lifestyles and fitness education. We provided resources on our website, including nutrition advice and workout routines. Expanding our impact, we partnered with AdvantageCle to educate local Cleveland youth on health and fitness.
I faced challenges in defining and executing our vision, but I learned to set achievable goals each semester. We laid the foundation in the first semester, launched the website in the second, and established a partnership in the third. Despite setbacks, I prioritized adaptability and resilience, guiding the team through obstacles.
Through this leadership role, I gained valuable insights into goal-setting and collaboration across diverse backgrounds. Most importantly, I learned that leadership is about responding effectively to adversity. I'm proud that during my tenure, we successfully achieved our goals and advanced our mission at CWRUfit.
Caleb Tan
Nutrition and Chemistry Double Major
My involvement with University Hospitals' "Addressing Cardiometabolic Health Inequities by Early PreVEntion in the Great LakEs Region" (ACHIEVE GreatER) initiative has been an extremely meaningful and transformative journey. This opportunity has not only allowed me to witness firsthand the disparities in cardiometabolic health among the African American communities in Cleveland (and in Detroit on paper), but it has also made me extremely aware of how close these issues are to our university. As a student, seeing such health inequities within our neighboring communities in the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) has been a profound awakening. Engaging in various meetings and workshops, I've had the unique opportunity to dive into the lives of these communities. I've seen their strong desire for improved physical health, even with the numerous challenges they face, ranging from access of necessary resources to dealing with the complexities of health literacy. These experiences have highlighted the many factors contributing to health disparities, emphasizing the critical role we as students can play in driving change. Being able to provide guidance and support to these individuals has been incredibly fulfilling. Listening to their stories, witnessing their resilience, and sharing in their moments of joy and progress, every interaction has deeply enriched my understanding of the current state of health in these communities and strengthened my commitment to this cause. The project has enabled me to immerse myself in community engagement, transforming my academic knowledge into practical, empathetic action. Volunteering with ACHIEVE GreatER has given me something that just being a student alone could never truly do. It has allowed me to contribute in person to a project that not only collects data but makes a difference by addressing the early stages of pathogenesis by focusing on the social determinants of health. Integrating innovative REDCap technology with the efforts of community health workers and nurses, we are pioneering a coordinated approach to health management in the African American communities of Cleveland and Detroit. Our strategy prioritizes individualized care, recognizing that each person's journey towards health is unique. By tailoring our approach to meet specific needs, we are more effectively tackling heart health issues, reducing their prevalence, and in many cases, preventing them altogether. The project's potential for growth is immense, and I am hopeful that our successes will pave the way for an expanded impact, reaching more communities in need. Looking forward, I am eager to see ACHIEVE GreatER grow from a local project into a model for larger scale health initiatives. The lessons we've learned here—about the power of technology, community engagement, and personalized care—could serve as a blueprint for addressing similar health inequities around the world. As I continue my journey with this project, I am continually inspired by the strength and resilience of the communities we serve, and I am motivated by the prospect of contributing to a healthier, more equitable future for all.
2023
Candace Gabrielle Tunac
Nutrition and Psychology Double Major, Biology Minor
Candace graduated in May 2024. She has worked as a nursing assistant at Parkside Villa, helping to feed patients and as a research assistant on a nutrition related project in the FPB School of Nursing. She describes this as her most meaningful nutrition experience and says " Working on our manuscript "The Impact of Food Insecurity and Low Food Access Areas on Adults with HIV in the United States" as an undergraduate research assistant has emphasized the importance of food and nutrition in the symptom experience of immunocompromising diseases. Food insecurity is defined as an inconsistent access to food for each person in a household to live a healthy life. From this research, we observed that being classified as food insecure is associated with higher rates of neuropathy, headaches, memory loss and weight loss for people living with HIV. Because this patient population already experiences distressing symptoms, the effects of inadequate eating makes their symptom experience worse. Just by making nutritional food more accessible, people living with HIV could potentially endure less severe detrimental symptoms. This study analyzed the symptoms and food security status of people living with HIV in and around the Cleveland metropolitan area. These study participants are our neighbors, friends, and coworkers. It quickly becomes personal when you assess your own environment. Working on this manuscript was very powerful by demonstrating how much eating habits affect daily life and physiological health. It also highlights how low socio-economic factors negatively impact well-being. This research further emphasizes the importance of food equity and that more work needs to be done to improve food accessibility in underserved communities."
2022
Peter Chmiel
Nutritional Biochemistry & Metabolism Major
Peter has devoted significant time and effort to supporting two causes: Empowering Youth, Exploring Justice (EYEJ) and the Centers Uptown Free Clinic.
Empowering Youth, Exploring Justice (EYEJ) is a social justice non-profit dedicated to addressing social issues faced by youth in Cleveland. One of Peter's primary focuses in the group has been addressing the issue of food deserts in Cleveland. To address this problem, Peter has helped to host and moderate debates and town halls with Cleveland's mayoral candidates and helped to lead a dialogue program called Youth Discussing Justice (YDJ). YDJ works with local middle and high school students to discuss issues affecting their communities, such as food deserts. Over the last few years, YDJ has involved almost 1,000 students and helped to give them the tools to be changemakers in their communities. Peter has served on the collective board of the nonprofit, as well as chaired the Millennial Task Force, leading a group of several dozen like-minded young adults. Peter is also setting up a follow-up town hall with Nina Turner, state senator and candidate for Ohio's 11th Congressional District around April 24th on-campus, so keep your eyes open for more information!
The Centers Uptown Free Clinic is a Federally Qualified Health Center, dedicated towards improving community health in Cleveland. Under Peter's scope of practice as an EMT as well as his nutrition experience, he helped to perform initial assessments and interviews for patients. In particular, Peter helped to compile nutrition resources in the surrounding area (food banks, etc), that he would be able to refer to patients. Unfortunately many clients are low-income and thus live in areas that are likely to be food deserts. Therefore, providing initial nutrition consults with resources has been an important first step for many of the Centers' patients, going hand in hand with the healthcare services provided at the Free Clinic.
If you're interested in getting involved, additional information can be found on the EYEJ and The Centers websites.
Fiona Fragomen
Nutrition Major
Fiona Fragomen has devoted significant time to Food Strong and during her time at case participated in CWRU Food Recovery Network as a member of exec.
Food Strong's mission is to strengthen and empower communities through fresh, local foods. They promote the cultivation, purchase and consumption of fresh, local foods while simultaneously providing linkage to the other vital services and resources.
Food is the tool they use to convene community members, bring in vital resources and foster overall community wellness. Food strong is always excepting volunteers for garden cleanups and Care-a-Van events where culinary demonstrations focus on nutrition information provided to local community members of East Cleveland at the Coit Market.
The Food Recovery Network is a student-run organization at CWRU (affiliated with the national FRN organization) whose primary goal is to fight food waste on campus while also addressing food insecurity in the surrounding Cleveland community. They recover unserved food from dining halls and retail food locations (such as Leutner, Tink, and Tomlinson), and then donate the food to community partners (including nearby churches and homeless shelters). They rely on a network of volunteers to recover and donate this food, so that is where YOU come in! In addition to food recoveries, the FRN also work to promote food waste prevention and sustainability initiatives on campus.
Additionally, Fiona has taken her nutrition knowledge to the next level during the summer by seeking opportunities to learn about farming and food systems through a program called WWOOF to learn the importance of where you source your food.
Last semester, Fiona attended a program at the Culinary Institute of Barcelona called integrative healthy cooking which melds nutrition and gastronomy to combat the myth that health food tastes bad and to better educate her future patients as a physician on how to apply the nutrition information she has learned at Case that can influence one’s health.
Fabiana Gabriela Irigoyen Jimenez
BS in Nutrition/MS in Nutrition
Fabiana Irigoyen has devoted significant time and effort to supporting three causes: the CWRU Student Dietetic Association (SDA), the CWRU Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), and the Cleveland Food Bank.
SDA is a group for students interested in nutrition and dietetics, including non-nutrition majors. They hold numerous professional development and networking events focusing on current issues in nutrition, as well as career opportunities for those earning a degree in nutrition or nutritional biochemistry.
SDA also participates in food and nutrition-related community service events and strives to educate the campus community about healthy living, usually in collaboration with other campus organizations and Bon Appetit. The group meets twice a month for general body meetings, and holds events throughout the semester. If you would like to be part of the SDA, please join us on CampusGroups or email our current executive board for more information.
The DPP works to address prediabetes and type 2 diabetes within the CWRU community via a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program, a research-based program focusing on healthy eating and physical activity which showed that people with prediabetes who take part in a structured lifestyle change program can cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% (71% for people over 60 years old).
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio having served more than 343,000 people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties in FY2021. They do this through both food distribution and SNAP outreach efforts. The Food Bank operates a community food distribution center, providing food and other critical grocery products annually to more than 1,000 local food pantries, hot meal programs, shelters, mobile pantries, programs for the elderly and other nonprofit agencies. If you would like to volunteer with The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, please check out their website for the latest news and opportunities!
Maria Prokos
BS in Nutrition/MS in Nutrition
Maria Prokos has devoted significant time and effort to her work as a Milk Room Technician at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Opened in 2009, the Quentin & Elisabeth Alexander Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a Level IV NICU, and staffed and equipped to care for critically ill and low birth weight infants. Maria's duties have included preparing enteral calculations and feeds for infants in the NICU and NICU step-down unit, as well as working within an interdisciplinary team of NICU nurses, dietitians, and food service managers, to help ensure these vulnerable populations receive optimal nutrition.
Josie Shiff
BS in Nutrition/MS in Nutrition
Josie Shiff has devoted significant time and effort to supporting the CWRU Food Recovery Network.
The Food Recovery Network is a student-run organization at CWRU (affiliated with the national FRN organization) whose primary goal is to fight food waste on campus while also addressing food insecurity in the surrounding Cleveland community. They recover unserved food from dining halls and retail food locations (such as Leutner, Tink, and Tomlinson), and then donate the food to community partners (including nearby churches and homeless shelters). They rely on a network of volunteers to recover and donate this food, so that is where YOU come in! In addition to food recoveries, the FRN also works to promote food waste prevention and sustainability initiatives on campus.
Interested students can get involved by joining the FRN CampusGroups page so they will receive our newsletter which includes shift sign-up, and by emailing frnexec@case.edu.