Territorialization of University Education and Social Transformation: Experience of the National Training Program in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Francisco de Miranda National Experimental University

Abstract

This essay analyzes the impact of the territorialization of university education in Falcón State, Venezuela, focusing on the National Training Program (PNF) in Nutrition and Dietetics at the Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda (UNEFM) as a case study. The main objective is to describe how the link between academia and the territory has mitigated the historical deficit of nutrition professionals and transformed the regional health reality. Under a socio-critical paradigm and a qualitative approach, the evolution of human talent from 1991 to the present is examined, highlighting the incorporation of 33 graduates into the public health network and the consolidation of a teaching staff comprised of 90% program graduates. The results reveal a significant expansion in nutritional care coverage, the strengthening of professional identity, and the production of situated knowledge through case studies and Participatory Action Research (PAR). It is concluded that the PNF model at UNEFM constitutes an effective strategy for social justice, health sovereignty, and integral human development within the context of Falcón.