Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Waiver for Disclosed Conflict of Interest: Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D.

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the “Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable.” A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy's policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's employment and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include, among others, at least one person who has knowledge and expertise in federal nutrition program planning relevant to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and an understanding of the practical impact on the food and agriculture industries of aligning federal nutrition assistance programs with the Dietary Guidelines.

To meet this expertise and experience, Dr. Barbara Schneeman is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that she has a conflict of interest because she serves on two scientific advisory councils in the food and agriculture industries.

As described in Dr. Schneeman’s biographical summary, she has extensive experience in federal nutrition program planning. She has been a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, served as Assistant Administrator for Nutrition in the Agricultural Research Service of USDA, and was an inter-governmental reviewer of the Dietary Guidelines while serving as the Director of the Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements at the FDA. She is currently Professor Emerita in the Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis. We believe that Dr. Schneeman can serve effectively as a member of the committee and that the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have not identified another individual who is available to serve, with an equivalent combination of practical experience and expertise as Dr. Schneeman and who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this potential conflict is unavoidable.

Waiver for Disclosed Conflict of Interest: Jamy Ard, M.D.

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the “Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable.” A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy's policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's employment and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include, among others, at least one person who has extensive current experience and expertise in public health nutrition that includes management of obesity in key at-risk populations including racial/ethnic groups—particularly African Americans—and older adults.

To meet this expertise and experience, Dr. Jamy Ard is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that he has a conflict of interest because in addition to his academic appointments, he serves as medical director for a medical food-based program that is owned by a company in the food industry.

As described in Dr. Ard’s biographical summary, he specializes in clinical management of obesity, especially for those in racially diverse at-risk populations living with chronic diseases. He has 20 years of experience in clinical nutrition and obesity and served as the vice-chair for clinical care in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Nutrition Sciences. Dr. Ard has a special interest in the African American population and in developing strategies for behavior modification that are culturally appropriate for this group and has worked on several NIH-funded multicenter trials, including Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), a key dietary pattern in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; DASH-Sodium; and Weight Loss Maintenance Trial. We believe that Dr. Ard can serve effectively as a member of the committee and that the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have not identified another individual who is available to serve, with an equivalent combination of practical experience and current expertise in public health nutrition related to management of obesity in diverse population groups as Dr. Ard and who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this potential conflict is unavoidable.

Waiver for Disclosed Conflict of Interest: Susan B. Roberts

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the “Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable.” A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy's policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's employment and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include, among others, at least one person who has extensive current experience and expertise in metabolic health and energy management that includes clinical research of obesity.

To meet this expertise and experience, Dr. Susan Roberts is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that she has a conflict of interest because she serves as chief scientific advisor and shareholder of a weight management company.

As described in Dr. Roberts’ biographical summary, she specializes in weight regulation and energy metabolism. She has almost 30 years of experience in nutrition and clinical research and serves as director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University. Dr. Roberts’ extensive experience in clinical research is focused on the design, conduct, and analysis of randomized trials involving determinants of weight regulation, including dietary composition factors such as glycemic index, protein and fiber, and behavioral factors in weight control. Dr. Roberts is a recognized expert in weight regulation and obesity research and her familiarity with the practical aspects of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is critical to the committee’s work. We believe that Dr. Roberts can serve effectively as a member of the committee and that the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have not identified another individual with an equivalent combination of current practical clinical experience and expertise in metabolic health and energy management as Dr. Roberts and who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this potential conflict is unavoidable.

Committee Membership Roster Comments

NOTE: There has been a change in committee membership with the appointment of Dr. Susan Roberts. (note added October 25, 2016)