Rockville, MD – August 4, 2026– The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) today announced its 2026-2027 leadership, welcoming Keith P. West, Jr., DrPH, MPH, as President and introducing newly elected members of the ASN Board of Directors. Beginning August 1, 2026, these leaders will help guide ASN’s scientific, educational, and policy priorities as the ASN prepares for its Centennial celebration in 2028.
Dr. West succeeds Naïma Moustaïd-Moussa, PhD, DFASN, FTOS, FAHA, who will continue to serve on the Board of Directors as Immediate Past President.
“The strength of ASN comes from the expertise and commitment of its volunteer leaders,” said John Courtney, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Nutrition. “Dr. West is an internationally respected scientist who has shown throughout his career how nutrition research can improve lives. Together with our newly elected Board of Directors, he will help advance ASN’s mission, support the nutrition science community, and prepare the Society for its Centennial in 2028. We are grateful to each of these leaders for their service to ASN and the field of nutrition.”
2026-2027 Board of Directors
Each year, ASN members elect leaders from among the field’s most accomplished scientists, clinicians, and educators. The Board brings together diverse expertise that help guide ASN’s scientific, educational, and policy priorities.
President
Keith West, DrPH, MPH
Johns Hopkins University
Vice President
Heather Eicher-Miller, PhD, FASN
Purdue University
Vice-President Elect
Jamy D. Ard, MD, FTOS
Wake Forest University
Past President
Naïma Moustaïd-Moussa, PhD, DFASN, FTOS, FAHA
Texas Tech University
Treasurer
Robert Bertolo, PhD
University of Newfoundland
Secretary
Laura Murray-Kolb, PhD, FASN
Purdue University, Johns Hopkins University
Director-At-Large, Nutrition Science Translation
Eric Ciappio, PhD, RD
Balchem
Director-At-Large, Nutrition Science Mechanisms
Rafaela G. Feresin, PhD
Georgia State University
Director-At-Large, Nutrition Population Science
Carolyn Gunther, PhD, RDN, FASN
The Ohio State University
Director-At-Large, Global Nutrition
Daniel J. Hoffman, PhD
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Director-At-Large, Medical Clinical Nutrition
Carine M. Lenders, MD, MS, ScD
Boston University
Director-At-Large, Food & Nutrition Policy
Lauren O’Connor, PhD, MPH
Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Ex Officio Members
NBPNS Representative
Ruba Abdelhadi, MD, CPNS
Children’s Mercy Hospital
Early Career Nutrition Representative
Candida Joan Rebello, PhD, RD
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Academic Nutrition Departments and Programs (ANDP)
Diane Stadler, MS, PhD, RD
Oregon Health & Science University
Sustaining Partner Roundtable, Chair
Lori Lathrop Stern, PhD
IFF
ASN Chief Executive Officer
John E. Courtney, PhD
ASN Foundation, Chair
Paul Coates, PhD
We would also like to welcome and congratulate former Past President, Sarah Booth to the ASN Nominating Committee.
Dr. West’s Leadership and Vision for ASN
As ASN’s 2026-2027 President, Dr. West brings decades of experience in nutrition research, public health, and global health to the role. He is the George G. Graham Professor of Human Nutrition in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research has advanced understanding of micronutrient deficiencies, maternal and child health, and strategies to prevent blindness, illness, and death among vulnerable populations. Throughout his career, he has worked with governments, international organizations, and communities to apply nutrition research in programs that strengthen health outcomes and support healthier communities.
“It is an honor to serve as President of the American Society for Nutrition,” said Dr. West. “I look forward to working with ASN’s members and partners to advance nutrition science, strengthen collaboration across the field, expand global networks and support the next generation of nutrition scientists working to improve lives through nutrition.”
As President, Dr. West has identified the following priorities for the coming year:
- Reinforce and amplify Trust in Nutrition and Truth in Science through the voice of ASN.
- Expand sustained federal and global nutrition research support by refining ASN’s Nutrition Research Priorities.
- Implement the ASN Passport Scholarship program to expand membership and reach, and to build nutrition science capacity in low- and middle-income countries.
- Bring nutrition science from the world to the world through an expanded global network of ASN partnerships.
- Host symposia on “Our World in Conflict, Heat and Political Instability: Implications for Food Security, Hunger and Malnutrition”.
- Support planning and preparation for ASN’s Centennial Celebration in 2028.
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