Columbia University: one year MS in Nutrition
Brief Description:
http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/CadSp0304.htm#Columbia
Website (be sure to check out the links on top too) :
http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/ihn/programs/ihn_programs0001.html
I don't know much about the program, but I'll give you some of my initial thoughts and opinions...
The program has some definite advantages: clinical research projects at NYP (the main teaching hospital of Cornell and Columbia), thesis requirement, one-year accelerated program (includes summer), exposure to major US public health issues (e.g., obesity and diabetes), and a bunch to talk about in your interviews. Sounds great, right? Well, I wouldn't go this route if you need to prove you can handle the med school courseload.
If you're trying to eliminate any doubts of your ability to succeed in med school, I think the best option is to do a rigorous hard science graduate program. I don't mean to imply that Columbia's program isn't hard science (for example, it contains some physiology, biochemistry, and epidemiology), but the curriculum doesn't simulate the 1st year of med school as well as the special masters/certificate programs. Columbia's program should help any application, but it's not going to be as efficacious in proving that you can handle med school as a special masters/certificate program.
The research projects seem to come at the end of the program (completed during the summer). So if you try to apply to med school during the program, you probably will not have the opportunity to discuss your clinical research. The way the program is set up, it would probably be best to take a glide year as opposed to applying during the program.
In short, the program provides some excellent opportunities, but the one-year hard science graduate programs are probably a better option if you're trying to prove you can handle medical school.
