Rachel Itzen de la Torre joined Columbia as its Director of Sports Nutrition in February 2023. De la Torre joins the Lions following stints at the Lincoln Medical Center and Queensboro Football Club.
In this role, de la Torre will lead the development and implementation of the Columbia University Athletics Sports Nutrition program. She is responsible for providing performance nutrition education and guidance to all 31 varsity sports programs, along with the implementation and oversight of Columbia Athletics' Fueling Initiative.
De la Torre has experience providing individual nutritional counseling to optimize patients' and athletes' health, performance and well-being goals. Additionally, she has worked in various athletic, clinical and community settings, including the University of Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University gymnastics team, New York Presbyterian Hospital and the NYC Department of Health.
A former collegiate gymnast at Southern Connecticut State University, de la Torre has studied sports nutrition for the past 10 years and has six years of professional experience in the field. While at UConn, Rachel supported teams and created educational content on evidence-based best practices in athletic performance. Before her experience at UConn, Rachel was a sports nutritionist for her former gymnastics team at SCSU where she provided educational workshops on several topics relevant to individual teams and the student-athlete experience.
De la Torre earned a master's degree in nutrition and dietetics from New York University (NYU) and a bachelor's degree in public health from SCSU. She is a certified dietitian nutritionist in New York State and a registered dietitian.
