Manchester University on Monday announced Dr. Kimberli Pike as the new director of of the university’s nutrition and nutrigenomics program.

Pike is a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics with 20 years of experience in higher education. She also spent time as an NHL consulting sports dietitian.

Nutrigenomics studies the relationship between an individual’s genes and how they affect their response to food and nutrients.

Manchester has a Master of Science degree in nutrition and nutrigenomics, plans for which were first announced in 2019, as well as a bachelor’s and minor in nutrition sciences. The master’s program will be housed inside Manchester’s expanded health sciences hub in Fort Wayne.

“I was drawn to the Manchester University Nutrition and Nutrigenomics program because it is a combination of traditional dietetics training that is enhanced with an exciting and emerging area of practice – nutrigenomics,” Pike said in a news release. “Our accredited program not only meets all standards and competencies for graduates to be eligible to take the national examination for registered dietitian nutritionists, but it also provides unique training in nutrigenomics.”

The master’s degree program is one of the many programs that received funding from the Manchester Bold campaign, which surpassed its $45 million goal two years ahead of schedule earlier this year.

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