University Veterinary Nutrition Courses
The Mark Morris Institute University Teaching Program in companion animal clinical nutrition offers current, non-commercial nutrition learning activities at no cost to the hosting school. We offer a series of live in-person or online lectures, recorded lectures, case-based discussions, practical exercises (laboratories), and asynchronous e-learning modules, which can be combined to create a customized clinical nutrition course – elective or required - for your institution.
Our faculty consists of experienced, clinically proficient experts in small animal clinical nutrition and/or internal medicine. The majority of our faculty are qualified to use the title Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist®.
In addition to course-oriented learning activities, in-person MMI university visits may include continuing education lectures for house officers and faculty, attending clinical rounds, individual clinical case consultations, and suggestions for the nutritional components of veterinary curricula.
The Mark Morris Institute is pleased to offer these courses and services free of charge to Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine, subject to certain requirements.
Program Requirements
The Mark Morris Institute is pleased to offer our services free of charge to Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine, subject to certain requirements. To make our collaboration with your school as productive and positive as possible, we require that:
- The learning activities must be part of the formal curriculum in a College or School of Veterinary Medicine. This requirement applies to electives if course credit is offered to elective courses within that university.
- Each in-person visit includes a minimum of three contact hours.
- Courses must have a minimum of 10 students enrolled.
- Students undergo some form of assessment. MMI can provide problem sets, homework, questions, and examination materials for use by course coordinators.
- The school appoints a contact person to work with MMI on schedule development and other coordination. We appreciate assistance with compression of our learning activities into relatively short time spans when MMI faculty will be visiting onsite. There is more flexibility for mostly or completely online courses. Please plan learning activities as far in advance as possible.
If you'd like to investigate options for your school, please contact us.
We look forward to working with you!
Course Catalog
Nutritional Physiology and Biochemistry
Contact Mark Morris Institute for additional details about our ability to provide presentations in this area to fit your curricular needs
Basic Nutritional Principles
Reviews on the major nutrients including their biochemistry, practical aspects of inclusion in pet foods, measurement in pet foods, requirements of dogs and cats, and practical aspects of these nutrients as they relate to feeding pets
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids and fatty acids
- Vitamins and Minerals
General Clinical Nutrition Topics
- Nutritional Assessment
Body and muscle condition scoring, diet history taking, evaluating dietary risk factors
- Energy calculations and Food Dosage, Selecting Pet foods
Determining nutritional requirements, calculating energy needs, food dosage calculations, how to choose and select a food
- Body Condition and Muscle Condition Scoring and Determination of Ideal Body Weight – laboratory
Homemade and Commercial Pet Foods
- Introduction to Pet Food
Overview of the pet food industry and commercial foods including nutrient calculations and nutritional comparisons
- Interpretation and Regulation of Pet Food Labels
Regulatory, nutritional and labeling requirements for pet food
- Pet Nutrition Label Laboratory – in-person and virtual
Self-guided laboratory experience which provides an opportunity for examination of pet food, pet food labels, treats, and nutritional supplements and to practice food dosage calculations and label comparisons. This lab consists of 8-13 stations covering basic as well as some clinical nutrition (stations can be included or left out to fit time and course needs).
- Pet Food Math
Comparing nutrient levels between different diet types, converting between different units and formats for nutritional information
Feeding Healthy Pets
- Feeding Healthy Dogs and Cats
Feeding dogs and cats for health maintenance. Feeding recommendations for growth, gestation, lactation, adult maintenance, and old age. Incorporation of nutrition within a preventative health program. Pet food dosage calculations for nutritional counseling.
- Use of Dietary supplements
Regulation, research, and other considerations for dietary supplement use
- Case Studies
A number of case-based discussions are available to explore feeding pets of various lifestages. Each case typically takes around 1 hour of class time to complete and discuss. Cases may be completed in groups or individually.
Nutritional Management of Disease (for 3rd and 4th year Veterinary Students)
Our disease-focused presentations address the pathophysiology, dietary management as adjunctive or primary therapy and key nutrients for each disease state. Other topics not listed may also be available.
- Dietary management of urolithiasis
- Assisted feeding/nutritional support
- Prevention and treatment of obesity
- Nutritional management of chronic kidney disease
- Dietary management of gastrointestinal disease
- Nutrition and orthopedic disorders
- Nutritional management of liver disease
- Nutritional management of endocrine disorders
- Approach to a nutrition case
In addition, case-based learning activities are available for most of the topics listed above
Clinical Nutrition Elective Courses/Rotations
MMI offers elective courses in small animal clinical nutrition for a minimum of 10 junior or senior veterinary students. Such courses need to be compressed into a 1-2 week window if taught onsite and typically include 20-80 contact hours. These elective courses can include a combination of the following modalities:
- Field trips (e.g. to local pet stores)
Our clinical nutrition elective courses are suitable as board reviews or continuing education for house officers as well as faculty. Face-to-face interactions can be combined with web-based instruction or entirely web-based instruction if preferred or most feasible for scheduling or safety.
Please contact us to discuss elective courses in more detail.
E-learning Clinical Nutrition Courses
MMI now offers asynchronous e-learning modules covering many of our healthy pet and pet food-related content. These modules can be used alone or combined with other modalities into a hybrid course. Please contact us for further details.
Cailin R. Heinze, VMD, MS, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Dr. Heinze is the Executive Director and Chief Academic Officer for MMI. She received her DVM from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. After veterinary school, she worked in private small animal/exotics practice for a few years on the east coast before moving to California to pursue a residency in clinical nutrition at UC Davis.
Dr. Heinze completed her residency and then earned a Master’s degree in Nutritional Biology at UC Davis prior to joining the faculty of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
Dr. Heinze is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in the Nutrition subspecialty. Dr. Heinze taught biochemistry and clinical nutrition and ran the Clinical Nutrition Service at Tufts until June 2019. She currently holds the title of Adjunct Associate Professor at the Cummings School.
Her professional and research interests include nutritional management of renal disease, long chain fatty acids, and cancer nutrition. In her leisure time, Dr. Heinze enjoys hanging out and training with her dog, DIY projects, dressage, and gardening.
Marjorie Chandler, DVM, MS, MANZCVS, DACVIM (Nutrition, SAIM), MRCVS
Dr. Chandler has a BS from California State University, and a MS (Animal Nutrition) and DVM from Colorado State University (CSU). After several years in mixed and emergency practice, she did residencies in small animal medicine and clinical nutrition at CSU and Massey University, NZ.
Dr. Chandler is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, a member of the Australia New Zealand College of Veterinary Science (Small Animal Medicine), Chair of the FEDIAF Scientific Advisory Board, founding member of the European Veterinary Nutrition Educators Group, and Co-Chair of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee.
Dr. Chandler is an independent consultant in small animal nutrition and internal medicine, Clinical Nutritionist for Vets-Now Referrals, Glasgow, and Internal Medicine Specialist for Moorview Referrals in Newcastle, U.K.
Andrea J. Fascetti, VMD, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition, SAIM)
Dr. Fascetti graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation she completed an internship and medicine residency at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. She holds a doctoral degree in nutrition from the University of California, Davis. She is a Diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Andrea is currently a Professor of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis.
She received the AVMF/Winn Feline Foundation excellence in feline research award in 2016. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications. She is a co-editor of the textbook, “Applied Veterinary Clinical Nutrition.”
Her current research interests are trace mineral and amino acid metabolism, obesity, carnivore nutrition, nutritional idiosyncrasies of the cat, improvement of pet foods and clinical nutrition.
Jennifer A. Larsen, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Dr. Larsen holds a PhD in Nutritional Biology and a DVM from UC Davis. She attained Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (which is now the 6th specialty under the ACVIM umbrella).
She provides clinical nutritional consulting through the Nutrition Support Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She also mentors residents and students, and teaches in the veterinary curriculum as well as for the Graduate Group of Nutritional Biology.
Deborah E. Linder, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Dr. Linder is a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist® at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where she also earned her DVM.
Her research focuses on safe and effective weight loss strategies for pets as well as the effect of obesity on pet and human well-being and One Health. She is also Co-Director of the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction.
Dr. Linder has spoken at national and international conferences, and has had appearances in Eating Well, the Boston Globe, AARP, the New York Times, and XM Sirius Radio Doctor Channel.
Her interests include obesity management, effective client education, human-animal interaction and the impact on One Health.
Maryanne Murphy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Dr. Murphy received her DVM from Iowa State University in 2008. After veterinary school, she completed a rotating general medicine and surgery internship at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists in New York City and a clinical nutrition residency at the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Murphy completed her residency and then earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative and Experimental Medicine at the University of Tennessee in 2014. The focus of Dr. Murphy’s dissertation research was energy metabolism and satiety in lean and obese dogs. She joined the staff of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ as a clinical nutritionist in 2014 and transitioned back to academia in 2016.
Dr. Murphy is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition) and teaches clinical nutrition at the University of Tennessee. Her professional and research interests include obesity prevention and management and veterinary nutrition education.
Angela Witzel Rollins, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Dr. Angela Rollins performed her DVM, PhD, and residency training at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been a faculty member of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for over 10 years and teaches courses in veterinary nutrition and physiology and participates in the clinical nutrition service.
Dr. Rollins is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition) She is also President of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition and a former President of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Her research interests include obesity physiology, prevention, and treatment.
Megan Shepherd, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Dr. Shepherd is the Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist® at Veterinary Clinical Nutrition PLLC. She received her DVM from the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM). After veterinary school, she worked in private equine practice for a few years before pursuing a residency in clinical nutrition at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Shepherd completed her residency and then earned a graduate degree in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences prior to joining the faculty of the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine for 10 years. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in the Nutrition subspecialty. Dr. Shepherd taught nutrition and ran the Nutrition Service at VMCVM until February 2022. She currently holds the title of Adjunct Assistant Professor at VMCVM.
Her professional interests include helping companion animal caregivers find nutrition solutions to maintain health or manage disease. In her leisure time, Dr. Shepherd enjoys hanging out with her human family and hounds, running, camping, and paddle boarding/kayaking.
Cecilia Villaverde, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition) and Diplomate ECVCN
Dr. Villaverde obtained her veterinary degree in 2000 and her PhD in animal nutrition in 2005 by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain. She worked as a post doctoral researcher in feline nutrition at the University of California Davis, where she also completed a residency in small animal clinical nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
She is board certified in veterinary nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition) and by the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN) since 2010 and is currently the past president of ECVCN.
After working as the chief of service of the veterinary teaching hospital nutrition service in Barcelona (UAB) for 6 years, she is now a consultant in clinical nutrition for Expert Pet Nutrition (www.expertpetnutrition.com) and Veterinary Information Network (VIN).
She is the co-chair of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee and has written several articles and book chapters on the topic of companion animal nutrition.
Continuing Education
We can also provide 1-2 hour seminars for faculty and house-officers. These presentations can be scheduled in conjunction with veterinary student course offerings at your institution.