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Speaker and Facilitator Biographies
Captain Heidi Michels Blanck, Ph.D., M.S., is a U.S. Public Health Service officer and serves as chief of the Obesity Branch in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CAPT Blanck oversees the CDC’s monitoring of state/territory/tribal obesity prevalence and key nutrition policies, environments, and behaviors. Staff in the branch conduct surveillance, applied research, guidelines development, and technical assistance for the implementation of standards for early care and education and food service venues, including worksites and Healthy Hospitals. Staff also work with partners to accelerate the use of electronic health records for obesity reporting and increased access to pediatric weight management programs for low-income families. CAPT Blanck has more than 18 years of CDC experience and has authored more than 120 papers and reports in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, obesity, and environmental exposures. She helped steer the creation of Healthy People 2020 objectives for healthier nutrition options and led the creation of the CDC’s Childhood Obesity Research Demonstrations. She is senior advisor to the agency’s Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network of researchers and practitioners (www.nopren.org) and a member of the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (www.NCCOR.org), which partners with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Blanck received her M.S. from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. from Emory University, where she serves as adjunct professor.
Jeanne Blankenship, M.S., R.D.N., is a registered dietitian nutritionist and vice president of policy initiatives and advocacy for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her advocacy work focuses on professional issues for dietitians and nutrition professionals and includes coverage and reimbursement for Medical Nutrition Therapy, Nutrition Informatics, and Work Force Demands. As a nationally recognized expert in obesity, Ms. Blankenship has emphasized the need for comprehensive obesity treatment in her advocacy efforts. She also oversees state government relations, including consumer protection and licensure initiatives, grassroots advocacy, and regulatory affairs. She manages the Academy’s Political Action Committee, Legislative and Public Policy Committee, and Consumer Protection and Licensure Subcommittee. Ms. Blankenship received a B.S. in clinical dietetics from Arizona State University and an M.S. in nutrition sciences from Oklahoma State University. Prior to working in policy and advocacy, she held positions at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center as a senior clinical dietitian and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Western Nutrition Research Center as principal dietitian. Her experience also includes positions in long-term care; the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; and private practice.
Lieutenant Colonel Heidi L. Clark, M.S., R.D., is a nutritional medicine flight commander at David Grant Medical Center (DGMC), Travis Air Force Base, California. She oversees a $3.8 million budget, $523,000 in equipment, and 55 personnel to ensure the provision of 245,000 meals and 7,700 nutrition care visits annually. As a senior nutrition professional, she advises medical group leadership on nutrition policies and the provision of medical nutrition therapy, and oversees medical nutrition therapy provided within DGMC and air mobility command. She is also the primary trusted care coach-champion for DGMC, directing training and mentorship for 35 patient safety peer coaches, and she serves as the executive director of Travis Fisher House, ensuring maximum occupancy for 23 rooms serving 500 families annually. Lt Col Clark was previously assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, as the U.S. Air Force (USAF) deputy director at the U.S. Military Graduate Program in Nutrition, providing 125 contact hours of clinical nutrition instruction annually to USAF and Army nutrition students, directing research, and serving as advisor and committee member for thesis work. She served as the nutrition expert in the development of two U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs–U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines. Lt Col Clark was chief of medical nutrition therapy at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where she guided clinical nutrition practice and patient feeding and oversaw a staff of Army, USAF, and Navy nutrition professionals. At Wilford Hall Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, she provided in- and outpatient medical nutrition
therapy to diverse populations, including pediatric and adult intensive care, cystic fibrosis, and bariatric surgery patients; she also served as a preceptor for the joint U.S. Military Dietetic Internship. Lt Col Clark directed outpatient nutrition and health promotion programs while at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. She has deployed twice. Her first deployment was in 2005 as the first USAF company grade officer dietitian to Balad Air Base, Iraq, where she was the registered dietitian providing care to injured service members and local nationals. Her second deployment was to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where she was a diagnostics and therapeutics flight commander, overseeing elements of pharmacy, radiology, laboratory, and nutritional medicine and serving as the sole registered dietitian.
Jane M. Clary Loveless, Ph.D., R.N., M.S., M.C.H.E.S., is the national program leader for nutrition/extension for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition. Her specialization is community nutrition and health and technology-based nutrition and health education for young families with children to help combat childhood obesity. Dr. Clary Loveless is a master certified health education specialist. For more than 20 years, she has worked as a professor and extension specialist at Purdue University, where she completed both her undergraduate and graduate programs, and at Mississippi State University, where she worked on the design, implementation, and evaluation of community-based programs for land-grant institutions providing evidence-based healthy lifestyle programs to families in the Midwest and Southern regions. Currently, she is working with the Community Food Projects, the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program, and the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program, and she has co-led the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area. In November 2015, she received as group leader, along with her team, the USDA Abraham Lincoln Honor Award “for successfully implementing the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive interagency program to address food insecurity and increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables among low-income consumers.” Currently, Dr. Clary Loveless holds memberships in the following professional organizations: the American Society for Nutrition, the American Public Health Association, the Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior, and the American Diabetes Association. She has spoken both nationally and internationally on nutrition and health topics, as well as on community-based wellness programs using technology and social media.
Lieutenant Colonel Renee Cole, Ph.D., R.D.N., L.D., E.P.-C., is a registered dietitian whose research interests involve understanding the impact of eating behaviors and the mediators of those behaviors on satiety, weight
management, and disease progression. As deputy of the Military Nutrition Division and director of the Healthy Eating Behavior Initiative at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, she is in a unique position to collaborate with experts internal and external to the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct research in support of warfighter health and resilience. As subject-matter expert to the chief of the U.S. Army Specialist Corps, she has oversight of research activities occurring with the Corps, mentorship/development of research skills of the Corps staff, and dissemination of research findings to inform evidenced-based practice within Army medicine. As an associate professor for the U.S. Military-Baylor Graduate Program in Nutrition, she taught research methods, and she continues to mentor students through their master’s and doctoral research projects. As a military health care officer with more than 30 years of military experience, she understands the population and the programs/policies associated with helping the armed forces maintain operational readiness. She has been a principal or associate investigator on 17 studies, most of which have focused on weight management and the comorbidities associated with obesity. Dr. Cole received her Ph.D. and M.S. in nutrition sciences from Syracuse University.
Karl Friedl, Ph.D., received his B.A. (1976) and M.A. (1979) in zoology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Ph.D. in biology (1984) through the Institute of Environmental Stress at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He currently serves as chief physiologist of the U.S. Army, assigned to the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) in Natick, Massachusetts. In 2013, Dr. Friedl retired from 30 years of active duty service in the Army, where he had last served as director of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Previously, he served as commander, USARIEM; director, Army Operational Medicine Research Program; principal investigator, USARIEM; and chief of the Physiology and Biostatistics Service, Madigan Army Medical Center. Dr. Friedl’s research has been focused on extending the limits of human physiological performance. He has made specific contributions in the areas of endocrine regulation in semistarvation, physiological effects of anabolic steroids, body composition methods and standards, physiological monitoring, and metrics of research return on investment. He has published nearly 200 original articles, book chapters, technical reports, and commentaries, and made more than 250 scientific presentations at national and international meetings. He is a co-inventor on an Army patent for a system for remote neuropsychological assessment. He has served as chair of numerous NATO and Army panels and committees, and served on program review committees for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes
of Health, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Wellcome Trust and on university thesis committees in Finland, France, Iceland, and Italy. During his Army research management assignments, Dr. Friedl was responsible for the administration of $3.5 billion in appropriated research, development, test, and evaluation funds and organized major initiatives, such as the Defense Women’s Health Research Program, Technologies for Metabolic Monitoring, Bone Health and Military Medical Readiness, the Gulf War Illnesses Research Program, and the Army’s Parkinson’s Research Program. Dr. Friedl is a professor (adjunct) in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. He also currently serves as associate editor of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE’s) Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. This year he was recognized with a Professional Career Achievement Award from the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He has been recognized with national awards from both the Parkinson’s Action Network (Udall Award) and the Alzheimer’s Association (Ronald and Nancy Reagan Award) for his advocacy of “dual use” research that has helped advance research for soldiers as well as serve the needs of neurodegenerative disease patients. He has also received a Founder’s Award from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the Diabetes Research Leadership Award from the Diabetes Technology Society, the Society of Armed Forces Medical Laboratory Scientists Outstanding Research and Development Scientist Award, the French National Order of Merit (Chevalier), the Legion of Merit (2nd Oakleaf Cluster), and the Order of Military Medical Merit.
Lieutenant Pamela Gregory, M.S., R.D.N., is the nutrition program manager for the U.S. Navy and subject-matter expert for the chief of naval operations. She has sat in several high-level meetings to assist with increasing healthier eating options within the military, strategizing with fellow dietitians from other military branches and all entities that affect the food choices throughout military bases. Some of her additional duties include writing nutrition policy for more than 330,000 military members within the Navy to support keeping them mission ready and strong, as well as provide nutritious food opportunities. Additionally, she maintains clear, concise communication throughout the Navy nutrition community by scheduling and orchestrating monthly meetings with key stakeholders, such as food suppliers, performance nutrition and health promotion experts, and U.S. Marine Corps dietitians. Her other responsibilities are to sit on the U.S. Department of Defense and joint subcommittees within the nutrition realm, providing sound judgment regarding the Navy. These committees include the military Nutrition Environment Working Group (co-chair). LT Gregory is also an adjunct provider at the branch medical clinic. She earned her M.S.
in health with a concentration in nutrition from the University of North Florida.
Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer B. Harward, M.S., R.D., is deputy chief, Air Force health promotion, with the Air Force Medical Support Agency located at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia. She supports the surgeon general of the Air Force in advancing Air Force health promotion policies, with a particular focus on tobacco cessation, physical activity, nutrition, and sleep health. She is responsible for developing strategic guidance and implementing evidence-based programs for Air Force health promotion for 76 military treatment facilities serving 2.6 million beneficiaries. Lt Col Harward earned a B.S. in dietetics from Michigan State University in 2000. After graduation, she entered the U.S. Air Force in 2003 as a direct accession and commissioned as a second lieutenant. She has held a variety of positions, including joint medical operations in Europe, and has deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2010, Lt Col Harward received her M.S. in international health from Trident International University.
Karen Hawkins, M.A., R.D.N., is a registered dietitian in the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy, Military Community and Family Policy. In this position, she led the Healthy Base Initiative Food Team and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Food and Nutrition Subcommittee for 3 years. She currently co-chairs the Military Nutrition Environment Working Group, addressing the food environment in the DoD community. Ms. Hawkins worked as the first corporate-level dietitian with the Defense Commissary Agency for 5 years. She also worked in state- and community-level public health positions in Virginia for 10 years. She retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserve in July 2017. She received her R.D.N. at Georgia Southern University, with a dietetic internship at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and an M.A. in education and human development from The George Washington University.
Jay Heaney, M.A., has been employed as a research physiologist at the Naval Health Research Center since November 1988 and is currently deputy for the Warfighter Performance Department. His general area of research includes all aspects of human performance, with a primary interest in body composition and thermal physiology. Mr. Heaney serves as subject-matter expert supporting the research tasking for the 21st Century Sailor Office, Physical Readiness Program. In that capacity, he provides Body Composition Assessment and Physical Readiness Test guidance that is incorporated into the Navy’s Physical Readiness Program. Mr. Heaney is also a member
of the U.S. Department of Defense Physical Fitness Body Composition Working Group.
Bruce H. Jones, M.D., M.P.H., is a physician epidemiologist who has studied the interrelationships of physical training, fitness, and injuries in military populations for more than 30 years. He began his career as an Army general medical officer at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, in 1977. In 1980 he joined the staff of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Massachusetts, where he was occupation medicine division chief. In 1994 he transitioned to the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, where he became director of epidemiology and disease surveillance. He served 21 years on active duty and retired as a Colonel in 1998. He subsequently joined the staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he managed the Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Program. He returned to the Army as a civilian and is currently injury prevention division chief at the Army Public Health Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He has served as chair or deputy chairman of several U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) work groups, including the DoD Injury Surveillance and Prevention Work Group, the Armed Forces Epidemiologic Board Injury Prevention Work Group, and the Military Training Task Force. Under Dr. Jones’s editorship, the work groups published, respectively, Atlas of Injuries in the U.S. Armed Forces (Military Medicine, 1999), Injuries in the U.S. Armed Forces (American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2000), and A Public Health Approach to Injury Prevention: The U.S. Military Experience (American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2010). Dr. Jones is an author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications.
Marian Levy, Dr.P.H., R.D., F.A.N.D., is a professor and the associate dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Memphis. She received her doctorate in public health from the University of California, Los Angeles. A registered dietitian and fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, she has spearheaded numerous initiatives to promote health equity, provide environmental support for healthy lifestyles, and enhance eco-responsibility. Since 2005, she has served on the National Institutes of Health special emphasis review panels for the National Institute for Minority Health. She received the Ruby R. Wharton Outstanding Woman Award for Race Relations and has been recognized with teaching awards from the University of Memphis and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Levy has held several leadership posts, including president of the Tennessee Public Health Association. She served on the Board of Editors of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2013–2016) and currently serves on the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association. In 2017 she received the Doris Spain Distinguished Service
Award from the Tennessee Public Health Association in recognition of her contributions to the Association over a period of several years.
Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Tammy J. Lindberg, M.S., R.D.N., L.D., F.A.N.D., is a nutrition program manager at the Headquarters Air Force Medical Operations Agency. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Her dietetic internship was completed at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a master’s degree in resource management and nutrition. She followed her father, a C-123 pilot in Vietnam, into the U.S. Air Force. Lt Col Lindberg’s assignments included clinical dietitian at Wilford Hall, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; chief clinical dietitian at Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines; research dietitian, Armstrong Lab, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas; health promotion manager, Davis-Monthan, Arizona, and Ramstein Air Base Germany; chief biotechnology, Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson, Ohio; and chief food service operations, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. She retired after serving 22 years as lieutenant colonel. Lt Col Lindberg joined the State of Texas for 4 years as clinical dietitian/food service and housekeeping manager at the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, specializing in the treatment of the most difficult tuberculosis cases. She returned to the Air Force as a civilian working with Lackland’s Performance Nutrition Team for the Basic Trainees before becoming nutrition subject-matter expert for HQ Air Force Medical Operations Agency Health Promotion. Lt Col Lindberg has 32 years of experience as a registered dietitian.
Bernadette Marriott, Ph.D., holds the position of professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Military Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina. She has 40 years of experience in the fields of nutrition, psychology, and comparative medicine, with expertise in diet, nutrition, and chronic disease. Dr. Marriott has worked in scientific settings in the federal government, universities, and foundations. Former positions include founding director of the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health (NIH); associate director, Food and Nutrition Board, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; vice president, Research Triangle Institute International; and research vice provost and graduate dean, Northern Arizona University. Her research has focused on clinical trials and nutritional epidemiology studies involving diet and health. She is currently leading or has recently led research projects funded by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Defense, NIH, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, industry, and foundations. Ongoing and recent research has assessed the impact of fatty acid supplementation on both
cognitive performance under stress among military personnel and measures of mental health among veterans and nonveterans at risk of suicide. She has published extensively; has served on a number of national committees and university and nonprofit scientific advisory boards; and is a frequent speaker on diet, dietary supplements, and health. Dr. Marriott is currently a member of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies and was elected a fellow of the American Society for Nutrition in 2016. She holds a B.Sc. in biology/immunology from Bucknell University; received a Ph.D. in psychology from King’s College, University of Aberdeen, Scotland; and completed postgraduate training in trace mineral nutrition, comparative medicine, and advanced statistics.
Captain Patricia K. McCafferty is the commanding officer of the Expeditionary Medical Facility in Bethesda, Maryland. She graduated from Montclair State University in 1984 with a B.S. in nutrition. She earned an M.S. in nutrition from New York University in 1987. After completing a 6-month internship, she received her registered dietitian status in 1987. In 1992 CAPT McCafferty was commissioned in the United States Navy and was assigned to Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Illinois. While in Great Lakes, she served as clinical dietitian and became assistant food service director. In 1994, she was promoted to lieutenant and was transferred to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, as department head of clinical nutrition and department head of food and nutrition services. While on this tour, she earned two Navy Commendation Medals for her work during two hurricanes. In 1998, CAPT McCafferty affiliated with the Navy Reserves and was attached to Operational Health Support Unit Portsmouth, Detachment Groton, Connecticut. In 2003, she was recalled to active duty and assigned to Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia, as special project manager on cost analysis for Navy dietitians. From 2005 to 2007, CAPT McCafferty served as officer-in-charge, DET D Groton, Connecticut. She served as director of manpower for Operational Health Support Unit (OHSU) Portsmouth from 2007 to 2009 and as officer-in-charge of headquarters for OHSU Portsmouth from 2009 to 2012. Additionally, in 2009 she completed Patient Admin School with a 6-month experience in Portsmouth. Her last tour at OHSU Portsmouth was as director of training from 2012 to 2013. CAPT McCafferty served as officer-in-charge of innovative readiness training Alabama Black Belt in 2012 and in 2013 served as food service director for collective protection. She served as operations officer for Navy Medicine East under Rear Admiral Alvarado, completing the Tactical Aviation Headquarters-Mission Standard Operating Procedure manual for use in Navy medicine. She also served a 2-year term on the Executive Committee of Medical Staff, completed joint professional medical education and advanced joint professional military education, and served
a 3-year collateral duty as clinical specialty leader of the Medical Service Corps. She is currently serving as specialty leader in Clinical Dietetics. She served as assistant to the deputy of the Navy Medicine East Region as special project officer and as interim deputy, East Region, May through July 2014. CAPT McCafferty served as executive officer, Operational Health Support Unit, Jacksonville, Florida, from 2013 to 2015, and as senior Medical Service Corps officer and director for administration, Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) Bethesda, from 2015 to 2017. She is now serving as commanding officer of EMF, Bethesda. Her awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy Commendation Medal (four awards), Navy Achievement Medal (three awards), and Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal (two awards). CAPT McCafferty is a practicing registered dietitian specializing in long-term care and currently works for Care One, as well as serving as administrator and comptroller for Ocean County Endodontics. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association, American Diabetes Association, and American Healthcare Association.
Brian J. McGuire, M.S., A.T.C., C.S.C.S., is the deputy director of the Force Fitness Division at the Training and Education Command in Quantico, Virginia. He graduated from Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1985. In 2001, he earned a master’s degree in exercise science from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He has earned certifications from the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, and National Athletic Trainers Association. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1985. Following commissioning and The Basic School, he completed training and operational assignments in Texas, Okinawa, Korea, the Philippines, and Arizona. In 1987–1988, he also deployed to support Operation Earnest Will in the Persian Gulf as part of Det 2, 24th Marine Amphibious Unit. In April 1989, he transferred to 2d Light Anti-Aircraft Missile Bn in Yuma, Arizona, where he served as battery executive officer until leaving active duty in 1990. Mr. McGuire then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1991 and joined the 4th Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, where he served as platoon commander from 1991 to 1993 and battery commander of Battery B from 1993 to 1997. From 1997 to 2001, he served with Marine Air Control Group-48 and Marine Aircraft Group-42. In 1993, he was a competitor on the USA Military Pentathlon Team, where he was a member of the Bronze Medal–winning team in international competition. In June 2001, he joined the Training and Education Command (TECOM) at Quantico and began work on various programs related to physical readiness; he was mobilized in December 2001. From September 2005 to September 2006, he served in Iraq in support of Op-
eration Iraqi Freedom. Other reserve assignments included postings with Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. Mr. McGuire has held a number of positions in the sports medicine and strength and conditioning field. From 1993 to 1997, he worked in the Emory Clinic Department of Orthopedics in Atlanta, Georgia, and from 1997 to 2001, he served as head athletic trainer at Emory University. During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, he served as chief athletic trainer for rowing and canoe/kayak (sprint). In 2005 and from 2007 to 2012, he worked as an augment athletic trainer/strength coach for the Indianapolis Colts during summer training camps. He has also been lead athletic trainer for the National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine since 2008, and works for the NFL on game days as an athletic trainer injury spotter. Mr. McGuire retired as a colonel from the Marine Corps Reserve in January 2016. His military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal, along with various unit and campaign awards. He is employed as a civil servant by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) TECOM as deputy director, Force Fitness Division. He was the lead for development and implementation of the USMC Sports Medicine and Injury Prevention program, Combat Fitness Test, and Military Occupational Specialty Specific Physical Standards. He manages other policies and programs related to general and occupational fitness testing and sports medicine/injury prevention and coordinates associated research. In 2017, he received the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award.
Elizabeth Moylan, M.P.H., R.D., C.S.S.D., is the director of performance nutrition for the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP), a U.S. Department of Defense Center of Excellence at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland. She completed her master’s degree in public health at The George Washington University, and holds certifications as a registered dietitian, specialist in sports dietetics. She has completed training in culinary skills, functional medicine, and multiple integrative approaches, including study at Bastyr University in Washington, and holds certifications as a health coach and yoga teacher (ERYT-200). In her almost 20-year career, she has worked in both the civilian and military sectors. Her experience includes working as a research dietitian for the National Institutes of Health; as program manager for the National Kidney Foundation; and as an independent consultant on nutrition research and educational programs to Georgetown University, Kaiser Permanente, the Academy for Educational Development, and corporate wellness entities. Her commitment to integrative and novel nutrition programming led her to work at Walter Reed’s National Intrepid Center of Excellence, where she developed a holistic nutrition assessment and program for military service members being treated for posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic
brain injury. Presently, as director of performance nutrition at CHAMP, she manages multiple projects, including Go for Green®, and coordinates the efforts of CHAMP’s nutrition team as it serves the military through education, policy, programs, and research. She is passionate about nutrition as a means of improving the performance, resilience, and health of military service members.
Esther Myers, Ph.D., R.D.N., F.A.N.D., is the CEO of EF Myers Consulting, Inc., which was formed in 2009. Her consulting focuses on collaborative initiatives in international practice-based research and dissemination of evidence analysis principles, Nutrition Care Process and Model, and Nutrition Care Process Terminology using quality improvement and change management concepts. Dr. Myers held the position of chief science officer for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics from 2000 to July 2012. She focused her efforts on research activities needed for the dietetics profession. She was also instrumental in providing support to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the formation of the Nutritional Evidence Library, which supported the 2010 and 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In 2000, Dr. Myers completed her 25-year U.S. Air Force (USAF) career, which culminated in serving as chief consultant to the USAF surgeon general. During her Air Force career, she was an advocate for the role of dietitians in health promotion and the use of quality improvement methodology. She received a Ph.D. in human ecology from Kansas State University and an M.S. in human nutrition and food management from The Ohio State University, completed a dietetic internship from USAF, and holds an undergraduate degree from North Dakota State University.
Major Tamara E. Osgood, M.S., R.D., L.D., is a registered dietitian and is currently division chief, manager of health education and application at the U.S. Army Public Health Center. She recently completed a U.S. Department of Defense fellowship within the Obesity Branch at the CDC with a focus on public health and healthy eating environments. She has more than 13 years of experience as a registered dietitian, including positions as a clinical/oncology dietitian, critical care burn dietitian, director of the Nutrition Care Division at two separate Army community hospitals, and executive fellow to the Army Medical Specialist Corps chief, as well as a 15-month deployment to Iraq. Prior to her commissioning as an officer, MAJ Osgood spent 4.5 years in the enlisted ranks as an Army intelligence collector/Morse code interceptor. She has spent more than 20 years in the military. Her military awards include the Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Order of Medical Military Merit, and the Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army Iron Major award. She holds an M.S. in nutrition from the University of Alabama and a B.S. in nutrition from Georgia State Uni-
versity, graduating from both as summa cum laude. Her deployed medical experiences were published along with those of three fellow military registered dieticians in October 2014 in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrition in Clinical Practice.
Bill Purcell, J.D., is an attorney in Nashville, Tennessee, and an adjunct professor of public policy at Vanderbilt University. While he was serving as mayor of Nashville (1999 to 2007), his accomplishments as a civic leader earned him Public Official of the Year honors in 2006 from Governing Magazine. Elected to five terms in the Tennessee House, he held the positions of majority leader and chair of the Select Committee on Children and Youth. After retiring from the General Assembly, Mr. Purcell founded and became director of the Child and Family Policy Center at the Vanderbilt Institute of Public Policy Studies. From 2008 to 2010, he served as director of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He was then appointed special advisor and co-chair of the Work Team for Allston in the Office of the President at Harvard University. He previously served in various capacities on obesity-related committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, including the Committee on an Evidence Framework for Obesity Prevention Decision Making (member), the Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention (vice chair), and the Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention (member). He graduated from Hamilton College and Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Susan D. Raffa, Ph.D., is the national program director for weight management for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In this role she provides clinical and administrative guidance and oversight for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) MOVE!® Weight Management Program for Veterans, a behavioral weight management intervention available to veterans receiving care at every VA medical facility. She also leads other weight-management initiatives and research collaborations for VHA’s National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NCP). In 2016 Dr. Raffa co-chaired a State of the Art Conference on Weight Management in VHA, sponsored by the VA’s Health Services Research and Development Office. She is assistant consulting professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Behavioral Medicine, at Duke University School of Medicine, and serves as co-chair of the Committee on Science and Practice for Division 12 of the American Psychological Association. Prior to joining NCP in 2014, Dr. Raffa served as evidence-based psychotherapy program manager for VHA’s Mental Health Services, overseeing the development and implementation of more than a dozen national evidence-based psychotherapy training programs. She previously served as
associate chief of the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service at the Providence (Rhode Island) VA Medical Center, and was clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Raffa received a B.A. in psychology from Boston College and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Boston University. She completed a predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Alpert Medical School of Brown University in behavioral medicine and adult clinical research, respectively.
Major Kayla O. Ramotar, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.S.D., C.S.C.S., is the command dietitian and Army holistic health and fitness action officer at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. MAJ Ramotar was commissioned as a first lieutenant in January 2008. She received a B.S. in nutritional science from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 2004, and an M.S. in nutrition and dietetics, clinical nutrition from New York University in 2006. She holds a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified specialist in sports dietetics certification from the Commission on Dietetic Registration, and a certified strength and conditioning specialist certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Her military education includes the Army Medical Department Officer Basic Course, Combat Life Savers Course, Joint Field Nutrition Operations Course, Supervisor Development Course, Army Medical Department Captain’s Career Course, Instructor Training Course, Small Group Instructor Training Course, Cadre Training Course, Joint Advanced Nutrition & Dietetics Course, and Foundations of Training Developer Course. MAJ Ramotar currently serves as senior Training and Doctrine Command dietitian at the Center for Initial Military Training, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Fort Eustis, Virginia (since May 2016). Prior to this assignment, she served as program director for the Nutrition and Diet Therapy Branch, Army Medical Department Center & School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence, Joint Base San Antonio–Fort Sam Houston, Texas (2013–2016). From 2011 to 2013, MAJ Ramotar served as chief, Clinical Nutrition Branch, and assistant chief, Nutrition Care Division, Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson, Colorado. She also served as staff dietitian, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas (2008–2011). During this time, she deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as chief, Nutrition Care Division, A Company, 28th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Bragg, North Carolina (2009–2010). MAJ Ramotar’s awards/decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Army Overseas Service Ribbon.
James W. Sherrard, M.S., R.D., C.H.P.D., C.H.E.S., T.T.S., is department head and regional director for the Health Promotion and Wellness Department, Naval Hospital Pensacola, supervising and managing a team of 17 (combined) military, civil service, and contract personnel. He also manages Naval Hospital Pensacola’s Health Promotion and Wellness Program and Medical Home Port Tertiary Preventive Strategy Program, as well as individual medical readiness programming, trending, and reporting. Mr. Sherrard is a 30-year veteran (U.S. Air Force), registered dietitian, certified health education specialist, health promotion director, and tobacco treatment specialist; an instructor at the University of West Florida, School of Professional Studies, College of Public Health, teaching upper-level nursing school curriculum courses, functional and cellular-level nutrition, and disease prevention; and a guest speaker/presenter both within the continental United States and abroad (Italy, Japan, and Spain). He is also a certified trainer for the American Cancer Society’s FreshStart Program and the Navy’s ShipShape Weight Management Program and a health education specialist consultant for 10 Navy branch health clinics in five states. Mr. Sherrard received his B.S. (emphasis on human nutrition and performance) from the University of Alabama and his M.S. (health education and distance learning) from the University of West Florida, and is currently working on his doctorate of education. He has had a combined active duty and civil service career of 31 years of service. He currently manages the health promotion and wellness and deployment activities for Naval Hospital Pensacola.
Tracey Smith, Ph.D., R.D., is a nutrition scientist in the Military Nutrition Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM; Natick, Massachusetts). She completed a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut (2000), a master’s degree in nutrition at Framingham State College (2002), and a doctoral degree at the School of Health Professions at Rutgers University (2011). Dr. Smith is a registered dietitian and is a certified exercise physiologistSM (American College of Sports Medicine). She began as a research dietitian in USARIEM’s Military Nutrition Division (2002) and has been a principal investigator since 2010. Dr. Smith’s research focuses on nutrition interventions to support immune recovery, macronutrient metabolism, and the risk factors and consequences of overweight and obesity in military personnel. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society of Nutrition and is a reviewer for various peer-reviewed journals.
Margery J. Tamas, H.B.S.E., M.P.H., is an editorial manager at the Institute for Medical and Nursing Education in Atlanta, Georgia, a subsidiary company of the Nucleus Group (London). She received her master’s degree
in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from the School of Public Health at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2016. Her thesis research and subsequent analyses were performed as a research associate at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Ms. Tamas previously received an honors B.S. in engineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1981). Her primary job responsibilities include the development of needs assessments, grant proposals, and editorial content for certified continuing education activities for health care professionals in chronic and infectious disease. She also developed a statistical educational outcomes methodology for analyzing pretest and posttest data from these educational activities. Previously, she helped develop and produce and was rapporteur for the International Society for Influenza and other Respiratory Virus Diseases Surveillance Symposium, held March 2009 in Seville, Spain. Ms. Tamas presented highlights of her master’s thesis research in a late-breaking abstract at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 76th Scientific Sessions in 2016, and previously presented abstracts based on educational outcomes research at the ADA 73rd Scientific Sessions in 2013. She has also authored, coauthored, or written the manuscripts for several peer-reviewed journal articles and supplements. Ms. Tamas is a member of the public health honor society Delta Omega and the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi. She is a professional member of the ADA and the Institutes of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and is a past chair of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology chapter, IEEE Atlanta Section (1988–1991).
Anne Utech, Ph.D., R.D.N., L.D., has been acting national director of nutrition and food services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since April 2016. She is also an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and has worked at the VA since 2003. In the VA, she has been a clinical dietitian, a health promotion and disease prevention program manager, and deputy national director for nutrition and food services. She graduated from Michigan State University with dual degrees in nutritional sciences and dietetics, with a specialization in health promotion and disease prevention. She completed her internship at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in nutrition at Texas Woman’s University.
Captain Andy T. Vu, D.D.S., is the deputy director of the Office of Joint Force Fitness-Operation Live Well, which supports the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in aligning policies and programs along the Total Force Fitness framework across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). CAPT Vu understands that readiness is a priority for the military services, and that policies that shape the DoD food environ-
ment are critical for the health of the force and the nation’s security. He has championed deployment readiness initiatives to increase annual clinical productivity and exceed dental readiness standards at the Fort Jackson Dental Health Activity, the 62nd Medical Brigade, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. CAPT Vu is an Army master fitness trainer and is working toward obtaining his tactical strength and conditioning coach certification. He holds a doctorate in dental surgery from New York University and a B.S. in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Sean Walsh, R.D., C.S.C., is the co-lead of the National Healthy Teaching Kitchens. He spent several years in the Marine Corps infantry before earning multiple university degrees, including a B.S. in food science from Central Washington University. He then traveled to Reno, Nevada, where he completed a medical internship and became fully accredited as a registered dietitian. Mr. Walsh currently strives to better the lives of his fellow servicemen and -women. Starting in weight management, he realized that until people learned to cook healthfully, they could not truly become healthy. Under the careful tutelage of Chef Joe Eidem, he became an American Culinary Federation certified sous chef—only one of handful of registered dieticians in the country to do both. He designed and began teaching a series of healthy and beginning cooking courses at the Reno VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). Mr. Walsh is also co-chair of the national VA Healthy Teaching Kitchens Committee and now helps guide the adoption and implementation of healthy cooking courses at VA hospitals across the United States. He is currently working with the Nevada Air National Guard’s local unit to help keep America’s heroes in fit and fighting shape. “Making the foods that are good for us taste good” is a passion that drives him to spread the good word of cooking.
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