SNSW’s incoming director envisions a future of collaboration across disciplines
The program we want to be: promoting lifelong wellness for individuals and communities
Kenneth Wilund, the incoming Director of the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness (SNSW) plans to take a holistic, collaborative approach to developing the school.
"To fulfill our mission, we need to understand the issues that our communities face, and that is going to require a diversity of opinions, experiences and people," he said. "I want us to do important work that has a robust impact on the populations we serve, and that is going to require a multidisciplinary approach."
Wilund came to SNSW from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he served as the Associate Head of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health. There, his research focused on improving the quality of life for patients undergoing dialysis for kidney failure. In 2015, he founded the Global Renal Exercise network, an international organization with the goal of fostering multidisciplinary research into exercise as a strategy for improving health outcomes in people with kidney disease.
Wilund's vision for the school is one that supports the efforts of all its members – students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community. “My primary goal as a leader is to cultivate an environment in which people can thrive,” he said. “I want to build relationships and take advantage of our strengths."