Five American Dietetic Association Members Named to Dietary Guidelines Expert Advisory Panel

FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 25, 2008

Media contact:  Jennifer Starkey 
800/877-1600, ext. 4802
media@eatright.org

CHICAGO — Five members of the American Dietetic Association, including three registered dietitians, are among 13 nutrition and health science authorities named October 24 by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to the government’s new Dietary Guidelines 2010 Advisory Committee.

The committee members have been selected for “their expertise in dietary intake, human metabolism, behavioral change, and health,” according to the USDA and HHS. Following a review of current scientific literature, listening to and receiving public comment and deliberating in open forums, the committee will prepare an advisory report that will be used in creating the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, which were last revised in 2005.

The cornerstone of federal food policy in the United States, the Dietary Guidelines are especially important in developing nutrition education programs and strengthening food assistance programs which include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) and the School Lunch and WIC Programs.

“As the country’s leading organization of food and nutrition professionals, the entire American Dietetic Association is proud that five of our members have been asked to serve on this important committee, reviewing the science that is the basis for the government’s primary guidelines on healthful eating,” said registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association President Martin M. Yadrick.

“As a registered dietitian, I am especially pleased that three of my fellow RDs — all distinguished scientists — are bringing registered dietitians’ unique combined knowledge of nutrition science and consumer advice to the committee. They will contribute enormously in developing 2010 Dietary Guidelines that will lead to a healthy and well-nourished American public,” Yadrick said.

American Dietetic Association members who will serve on the Dietary Guidelines advisory committee are:

  • Cheryl Achterberg, PhD, dean and professor in the college of human sciences at The Ohio State University
  • Sharon Nickols-Richardson, PhD, RD, associate professor in the department of nutritional sciences at The Pennsylvania State University.
  • Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, MPH, professor of applied physiology at Columbia University Teachers College and chief of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and nutrition at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.
  • Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota.
  • Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, LD, chair of the committee; professor and interim chair of the department of preventive medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.