Mission and Vision Statements

Our Story

Dr. Lina Begdache has been conducting research on diet and its interaction with a variety of factors for many years. Casey McKenna and Gerard Dempsey, originally students of Dr. Begdache, were struck by the nature of her work and individually reached out in the hopes of conducting research alongside her. Eventually, Casey and Gerard were paired together and formed a research team, whose work would lay the foundation for the current team, BMINDS. Casey and Gerard originally studied the interaction between diet, exercise, and a variety of neurobehaviors. Since then, BMINDS has launched several other studies investigating diet and its impact on stress, neurobehaviors, and health behaviors.

Mission Statement

Using the knowledge we have gained, and will continue to gain, through extensive literature review and research, we will educate the public about the little-known relationship between diet and mental wellbeing. Arming the public with this necessary knowledge will allow them to make healthy lifestyle changes and potentially improve their mental well-being.

Vision Statement

The establishment of a team with the means of disseminating the findings of our research, to promote mental well-being amongst the public through dietary changes.

Share our findings with the public by seeking out opportunities to present our research and publish our findings to meaningfully contribute to the literature on the topic of the relationship between diet, perceived stress, and mental distress.

Continue to conduct novel research and immerse ourselves in the world of research

Research & Outreach 

Through research, we hope to:

Expand our knowledge by reviewing more literature relating to our research topic 

Use the results and findings from our previous studies to inform the direction of our future research

Disseminate our findings to the public 

Through outreach, we hope to: 

Provide infographics promoting health and mental well-being through diet. 

Present general information about how to improve the diet for better mental well-being

Utilize social media to educate the public on simple ways to create a positive impact on their lifestyle.

Create short meetings or seminars where we discuss nutrition and provide a space for people to learn about their diets. 

Provide knowledge and research on the link between nutrition, stress, and mental wellbeing to the community of Binghamton, on-campus and off-campus.