Sodexo Funds Endowment for Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition at UTMB

Gaithersburg, Md., March 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sodexo, global leader in healthcare food service and facilities management, today announced it is funding an endowment of $250,000 toward a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN) program at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). The new clinical nutrition doctorate aligns UTMB’s dietetics education expertise and Sodexo’s commitment to developing future clinical nutrition practitioners in healthcare.

"We are honored by Sodexo’s gift and excited to provide this new level of education and training," said Dr. David Brown, dean of the School of Health Professions at UTMB. "The new program will be a practical doctorate program for developing dietitians working in the highest degree of care. With Sodexo’s help, we will be ushering in a new level of care and mastery."

Sodexo’s endowment will provide the funding for the Distinguished Professorship position that will develop and lead the program. Pending approval, the DCN program will begin in Spring semester 2023. Offered online through UTMB, the track will accept rolling admissions each semester.

"Sodexo is committed to creating a comprehensive career ladder for dietitians and we are investing in this partnership to provide a path to advance the skills of clinicians," said Sodexo Vice President of Clinical Nutrition Julie Branham, MS, RD, LDN.

Sodexo employs more registered dietitian nutritionists than any other private employer in the United States and this endowment toward the DCN represents a new form of support for emerging RDNs. Across North America Sodexo fosters their development in partnership with universities through the Sodexo Dietetic Internship. For Sodexo dietitians enrolling in the DCN program, Sodexo will provide financial support through its corporate tuition reimbursement program as well as professional development funds from the dietetic program.

"Sodexo employs some of the most highly skilled dietitians in the profession of dietetics, and this partnership demonstrates our ongoing commitment to dietitians who want to practice with the most advanced credentials," said Branham.

At Sodexo Healthcare we build trusted partnerships with health systems to support their care delivery mission. Leveraging science, insights and imagination, we provide solutions and contribute essential non-clinical services wherever care is delivered, to enhance patients’ and caregivers’ experience while improving our clients’ financial health. Sodexo Healthcare’s 35,000 employees provide human-centered care with food and nutrition, environmental and clinical engineering services that support healthcare teams and overall operations at over 1,500 sites in the United States.

About Sodexo North America

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 56 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, government, Sodexo Live! and other environments daily. The company employs 125,000 people at thousands of sites in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam, and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $20B in goods and services from small to large businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., in 2021, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation mobilized more than 11,000 volunteers to distribute 1.8 million meals to help 2.5 million children and adults meet their immediate food needs. Since 1996, the Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed $38 million to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit , and connect with us on , , , and .