ASN Members Make Up A Majority of the Announced 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

February 26, 2019 by *ASN Member Contributor

Presence of 16 ASN Members Out of 20 Appointees Exemplifies ASN’s Leadership in the Nutrition Science Community.

Rockville, MD – February 25, 2019 –The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) applauds the selection of 20 highly qualified scientists to serve on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and is pleased to note that 16 of the 20 appointees are members of ASN, including President-Elect Richard Mattes, PhD, MPH, RD; past Presidents Sharon Donovan, PhD, RD, and Teresa Davis, PhD; and Board member Heather Leidy, PhD. All of the professionals selected bear outstanding credentials in their respective fields, and are recognized by their peers for their scientific expertise and service in their professional communities.

The independent advisory committee is formed in advance of development of each new set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), released every 5 years. The committee members are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and are tasked to review scientific evidence on topics and questions identified by the departments. Their resulting report, along with public and agency comments, will be returned to the secretaries and will help inform the development of the 2020-2025 DGA.

“The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is the cornerstone of the DGA, providing the foundation of information that will address the best dietary habits to emphasize prevention of chronic diseases, promotion of good health, and establish nutritional needs for people of all ages and life stages,” said ASN President Catherine Field. “ASN nominated 9 of the selected appointees for inclusion on the committee, and we’re so proud to see not only those 9 but another 7 members of ASN will be appointed. With so many of ASN’s members on the Committee, we know that they will perform an exhaustive review of the latest nutrition science and provide sound recommendations to the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.”

The Advisory Committee will convene at a public meeting to be announced in the coming weeks, to begin their work for the 2020-2025 DGA. The next edition of the DGA will incorporate a life-stage approach and, for the first time, include pregnant women and children from birth to 24 months, as mandated by the 2014 Farm Bill.

“We are thrilled to have an Advisory Committee for the upcoming 2020-2025 DGA with so many incredible ASN members on board,” said ASN Executive Officer John Courtney. “Members of ASN come from all over the nutrition science community and represent a wealth of knowledge and backgrounds that will help to best inform the DGA. The appointments are an indication not only of the breadth of expertise of our members, but also the high value of ASN membership to so many nutrition experts.”

ASN is proud to announce the following ASN members selected for the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee:

  • Jamy Ard, MD
  • Regan Bailey, PhD, MPH, RD
  • Lydia Bazzano, MD, PhD
  • Carol Boushey, PhD, MPH, RD
  • Teresa Davis, PhD
  • Kathryn Dewey, PhD
  • Sharon Donovan, PhD, RD
  • Steven Heymsfield, MD
  • Heather Leidy, PhD
  • Richard Mattes, PhD, MPH, RD
  • Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, PhD, RD
  • Rachel Novotny, PhD, RDN, LD
  • Joan Sabaté, DrPH, MD
  • Barbara Schneeman, PhD
  • Linda Snetselaar, PhD, RD
  • Linda Van Horn, PhD, RDN, LD

Many of the ASN members serving on this prestigious committee will be attending ASN’s Nutrition 2019 conference from 8-11 June 2019 in Baltimore, MD.

About the American Society for Nutrition
ASN is the authoritative voice on nutrition and publisher of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, The Journal of NutritionAdvances in Nutrition and Current Developments in Nutrition. Established in 1928, ASN’s 6,500 members in 100 countries work in academia, practice, government and industry. ASN advances excellence in nutrition research and practice through its publications, education, public affairs and membership programs, and annual Nutrition meeting, reaching over 36 million individuals annually. Visit us at www.nutrition.org and register for Nutrition 2019 at nutrition.org/N19.
Media Contact: Rebecca Kelly, Communications Manager, American Society for Nutrition, media@nutrition.org
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