Researching lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes leads to student's master's degree

Raveen Rani never thought much about food and nutrition until a health scare opened her eyes to the importance of a healthy diet. Growing up in Mansa, Punjab, India, Rani had access to an abundance of locally grown and nutritious food, yet, like many children, gravitated towards fast food and unhealthy snacks. After being admitted to the emergency room for a health crisis, Rani met with a nutritionist and was advised to change her eating habits if she wanted to stay healthy.

That experience had a profound impact on Rani and ultimately led her to the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in nutritional sciences.

Rani earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from Punjab Agricultural University and wanted to learn more about the connection between nutrition and chronic diseases. She decided to further her studies with a master’s degree and began researching nutrition programs in the United States. She came across the profile for Ginny Lane, an assistant professor in the U of I Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, and Lane’s research in chronic disease epidemiology aligned perfectly with Rani’s interests.

“I wanted to explore the area of nutrition impact on chronic disease, so my project was based on that — exploring how nutrition or lifestyle can affect diabetes,” she said.

Rani’s one-year study involved evaluating the effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention program for 227 adult participants, primarily from Idaho, at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The goals were to achieve 5-7% weight loss and increase physical activity to 150 minutes per week by the end of the program.

“I hadn’t done any kind of research before coming to U of I, so it was challenging for me at first,” Rani said. “But because of the help from Dr. Lane everything went smoothly, and I learned the skills and software I needed.”

At the end of the study, 64% of participants achieved the increased physical activity goal and 26.5% reached the 5% weight loss goal. In her role as a graduate research assistant for the diabetes project and assisting with other projects, Rani was able to gain experience collecting data, interacting with participants, and was co-author on one research publication.

Beyond her research, Rani also embraced various leadership roles at U of I to help navigate the challenges of a new environment and to help her feel more connected to the U of I community. She served as president of the Food and Nutrition Club, secretary of the Indian Students Association, was an active member of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) and served as an International Peer Mentor.

“Being at the University of Idaho was a totally new environment for me,” she said. “At first it was a challenge, but I took advantage of the many resources on campus that helped me achieve my research goals and helped smooth my journey.”

Rani earned her master’s degree in August 2024 and began a doctoral program in nutritional science at Florida State University, working with Assistant Professor Andrea Lobene. Lobene’s research focuses on how nutrition affects cardiovascular health. Rani is still considering what her dissertation will focus on but is leaning towards a project investigating the role of nutrition in cancer prevention — a topic close to her heart after losing her grandfather to cancer.

Rani hopes to eventually find a research position that allows her to work on real world problems to identify solutions to prevent chronic diseases. Her experiences at U of I have helped lay the foundation for that goal.

“U of I provided a collaborative research environment that allowed me to apply my knowledge in a real-life context,” she said. “All the projects I participated in set a strong foundation for my future in research.”