Innovation Showcases
Navigating Grief - a Holistic Approach to Health and Healing: Changes in Our Physiology and Psychology
Innovation Showcase Sweta Vikram
Grief is the response to any kind of loss. Reality is that grief doesn’t discriminate and touches each one of us at some point in our lives. Have you noticed that we all respond differently when grief strikes? Yes, it depends on what the grief and loss meant to you. But why is it that some people shut down and disconnect while others can’t focus during moments of crisis? How is it that some individuals are hyper-focused and productive in moments of grief? In this session, we explore the definition and understanding of grief from a holistic perspective. We will detail how to navigate grief using the Ayurvedic lens, so we are more compassionate to people’s experiences and even our own. We will talk about short-term and long-term relief from grief. We will practice breathwork, trauma-informed seated postures, and grounding as tools to empower our healing and our communities. We will engage in sharing stories and using writing prompts to find relief and peace.
Caffeine’s Hidden Blueprint: Unlocking Epigenetic Secrets to Revolutionize Dietetics Education and Personalized Health
Innovation Showcase Alexandra Kazaks
Caffeine is a widely consumed dietary compound with known effects on alertness, metabolism, and cardiovascular function. Beyond these acute outcomes, emerging research suggests caffeine may influence long-term health through epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and alterations gene expression. With personalized nutrition gaining traction in healthcare, this project explored how upcoming healthcare professionals, particularly dietetics graduate students, engage with engage with caffeine’s broader implications, preparing them to offer tailored, science-based guidance in their professional practice. Initially, students completed coursework that included a comprehensive literature review synthesizing current findings on caffeine’s epigenetic influence on key public health concerns such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and early-life programming, emphasizing lifestyle factors that modulate gene expression. Following this, ten graduate dietetics students shared their questions and opinions regarding the potential implications of caffeine on gene expression, its impact on metabolic health, and how this knowledge could influence their future dietary recommendations. Their responses were then analyzed qualitatively for thematic content to identify key educational gaps and research priorities in the field. These student-generated questions highlight a rising interest in how everyday dietary compounds may influence health at the molecular level through epigenetic pathways. Their insights reflect a broader engagement with emerging models of human systems intelligence that integrate biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The findings underscore the importance of preparing healthcare professionals to address complex issues at the crossroads of nutrition, epigenetics, and long-term wellness, using caffeine as a model for exploring these connections.
