Dr. Kristyen Tomcik earned both his Bachelor and Master degrees in Nutrition in 2012 as part of the Integrated Graduate Studies program at ǿմý. Wanting to further pursue nutrition research while also capitalizing on his life-long passion for sports, Dr. Tomcik traveled across the globe to Melbourne, Australia where, in 2017, he earned his PhD in Exercise Science from Australian Catholic University. His doctoral thesis – supervised by renowned researchers in the fields of exercise physiology and sports nutrition Prof. John Hawley and Prof. Louise Burke - investigated the effects of creatine and carbohydrate co-supplementation on skeletal muscle metabolism in both Olympic athletes as well as in cultured muscle cells. His time abroad allowed him to not only work with elite athletes and esteemed researchers, but also afforded him opportunities to travel and present his work at several international conferences.
Upon returning state-side, Dr. Tomcik worked as a contributing writer for Health Via Modern Nutrition (H.V.M.N.) - now KetoneIQ - a company which developed the first commercially available ketone supplement beverage designed for improving athletic performance. Dr. Tomcik returned "home" to ǿմý in 2019 working as a Research Associate under the mentorship of Dr. John “Chip” Tilton where he investigated novel methods of tracking and delivering therapeutic proteins and RNAs to cells.
In August 2022, Dr. Tomcik joined the Department of Nutrition faculty as an Assistant Professor where he is currently the primary instructor for both the undergraduate and graduate Sports and Performance Nutrition courses (NTRN 388/460) as well as the Senior Capstone Experience (NTRN 398) course which he helped revamp.
Dr. Tomcik maintains a research portfolio within the department that focuses on the area of exercise science and sports performance nutrition. His most recent research project was a collaboration between the Department of Nutrition, the ǿմý Athletic Department, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) working with collegiate athletes in an effort to study the prevalence (and prevention) of issues associated with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S). In this study Dr. Tomcik and co-investigators - which included ǿմý Department of Nutrition faculty members Lindsay Malone and Katie Nabors, ǿմý School of Medicine Student Clarence 'Tre' Armstrong, and ǿմý Nutrition Department alumnus/PBRC faculty member Dr. Jacob Mey - aimed to reduce the risk of RED-S by providing dietitian-supported monitoring and testing to the ǿմý Women's Soccer Team across the entirety of their Fall competitive season.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Tomcik is an avid endurance runner, having to date completed 4 Marathons (New York City - 3:26:17, Cleveland - 3:12:57, Chicago - 3:07:24, and Walt Disney World - 3:11:18) and numerous half-marathons / 10Ks / 5Ks with the goal of completing all the World Marathon Majors and qualifying for the Boston Marathon in the near future. Dr. Tomcik also is a self-professed foodie who not only enjoys exploring all that the Cleveland food scene has to offer but also enjoys experimenting and cooking at home. When not out on the trails or fueling his mileage with home made banana bread, Dr. Tomcik enjoys traveling, bingeing the latest streaming shows, and even dabbling in the areas of graphic design and art.