Webinar Series: Dietary Guidelines for Americans

ASN’s 3-part webinar series, held in early 2021, provides support navigating the publication and the science used to inform the guidelines development.

Out with the old 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and in with the new 2020-2025 Guidelines. Experts in nutrition policy and members of previous Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees will provide timely insights and recommendations in these webinars.

Topics to be discussed include the formation of the Advisory Committee, the scientific review methodology, the policy writing process, use of the identified evidence gaps, and research design and presentation to apprise future Dietary Guidelines.

For more information about each webinar, including access to their slides, please use the links below:

1. A Behind the Scenes Look at the Development of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2. Utilizing Evidence Gaps Identified by the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report to Inform Research Priorities
3. Designing, Implementing and Presenting Research to be Reviewed by the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

A Behind the Scenes Look at the Development of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Date: Friday, January 22, 2021

Time: 1 PM – 2 PM ET

The recording for this webinar is no longer available.

Access the Slides

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are released every five years by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS), and with each edition, the process evolves along with nutrition science and the methodology for reviewing it. In the first webinar in this three-part series, Federal nutrition staff will detail the nomination and selection process for the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). Members of the Committee will describe the three rigorous, protocol-driven approaches used to review the current evidence base. The utilization of the Committee’s work by USDA and HHS when writing the Guidelines will be described, along with the review process and implementation of the policy document.

1. Discuss the procedures for establishing the DGAC and the charter governing the Committee’s work.
2. Describe the three methods used by the DGAC to evaluate the scientific evidence.
3. Summarize the process for developing, reviewing, and translating the Dietary Guidelines.

Speakers

Janet M. de Jesus, MS, RD
Nutrition Advisor, Division of Prevention Science
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

Barbara Schneeman, PhD
Chair, 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
University of California, Davis

Eve Essery Stoody, PhD
Designated Federal Officer and Director
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Moderator

Richard Mattes, PhD, RD
Past President, ASN
Member of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
Purdue University

Utilizing Evidence Gaps Identified by the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report to Inform Research Priorities

Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Time: 1 PM – 2 PM ET

The recording for this webinar is no longer available.

Access the Slides

A crucial part of developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the review of the latest scientific evidence by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). A valuable outcome of their review is the identification of knowledge gaps in nutrition science and public health. The Committee provides research key recommendations, based on these gaps, that could advance the field of nutrition while supporting future activities related to the Dietary Guidelines. The recommendations offer valuable insights for funding organizations as well as researchers. In this webinar, Federal staff and members of the DGAC will discuss how: conclusion statements are developed to summarize the available data; consensus is reached among Committee members; and the evidence is graded. In addition, they will describe how evidence gaps are identified and present anticipated future directions for the 2025 DGAC and 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines. At the end of this program, attendees will be able to:

1. Describe how the DGAC grades the available scientific evidence and identifies the paucity of data
2. Detail topics requiring additional research or data
3. Discuss methodological limitations and how they can be utilized to improve research design and methods
4. Understand how to leverage the DGAC’s recommendations to inform their organization’s or laboratory’s research priorities

Speakers

Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS
Member of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
University of California, San Diego

Emily Callahan, MS
Analyst
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Regan Bailey, PhD, MPH, RD, CPH
Member of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
Purdue University

Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc.
Vice-Chair, 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee; Member of the 2000 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
Tufts University and Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

Designing, Implementing and Presenting Research to be Reviewed by the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Time: 1 PM – 2 PM ET

The recording for this webinar is no longer available.

Access the Slides

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) used three rigorous, protocol-driven approaches to review the current scientific evidence – data analysis, food pattern modeling, and systematic reviews. The systematic reviews were completed with the support of USDA’s Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review (NESR) staff. These reviews answer questions on diet and health by searching for, evaluating, and synthesizing all relevant, peer-reviewed studies. In this webinar, Federal staff will present NESR methodology and discuss how it corresponds to designing and implementing research studies and to reporting study findings. Key components of the systematic reviews, such as inclusion and exclusion criteria and the risk of bias assessment, will be highlighted. At the end of this program, attendees will be able to:

1. Describe the robust, seven-step NESR approach which supported the 2020 DGAC in conducting systematic reviews on topics relevant to Federal policy and programs.
2. Utilize the NESR methodology as a guide when designing research studies and publishing study findings.

Speakers

Julie E. Obbagy, PhD, RD
Nutritionist
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Joanne M. Spahn, MS, RDN, FADA
Nutritionist
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Jamy Ard, MD
Member of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
Wake Forest School of Medicine

Moderator

Tricia Psota, PhD, RDN
Nutrition on Demand