The appointment of 15 nationally recognized experts to serve on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee was announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack. The Committee’s recommendations and rationale will serve as a basis for the eighth edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The Dietary Guidelines serve as the foundation for national nutrition programs, standards, and education. In addition, the Dietary Guidelines provide key recommendations for the general population as well as specific population groups to help people choose an overall healthy diet that works for them.

“As we aim to improve the health of all Americans, we look forward to the important work of this Committee,” said HHS Secretary Sebelius. “Their guidance will help shape recommendations on how we can all live healthier lives by eating a nutritious diet—a key factor in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.”

“The President and First Lady have made it a priority to ensure Americans have access to the information they need to improve their overall health and nutrition,” said USDA Secretary Vilsack. “USDA takes great pride in partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services as we strive to reverse childhood obesity and build a healthier next generation based on the solid science that undergirds the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

Every five years, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated and published jointly by HHS and USDA. The administrative responsibility for leading the process alternates between Departments. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at HHS is the administrative lead for the 2015 process.

The inaugural meeting of the Committee is scheduled for June 13 to 14, 2013 and will be open to the public.

The following individuals have been appointed to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee:

Chair: Barbara Millen, Dr.P.H, R.D.: Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA (through 2009).

Vice Chair: Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc.: Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and Director and Senior Scientist, Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA.

Steven Abrams, M.D.: Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. Lucile Adams-Campbell, Ph.D.: Professor of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC.

Cheryl Anderson, M.P.H., Ph.D.: Associate Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.

J. Thomas Brenna, Ph.D.: Professor of Human Nutrition, Chemistry and Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Wayne Campbell, Ph.D.: Professor, Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Steven Clinton, M.D., Ph.D.: John B. and Jane T. McCoy Chair of Cancer Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Professor, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University School of Medicine, Columbus, OH.

Gary Foster, Ph.D.: Director, Center for Obesity Research and Education, Laura Carnell Professor of Medicine, Public Health and Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Frank Hu, M.D., Ph.D.: Director, Harvard Transdisciplinary Research in Energetics and Cancer Center, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

Miriam Nelson, Ph.D.: Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Boston, MA.

Marian Neuhouser, Ph.D., R.D.: Full Member, Cancer Prevention Program, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA.

Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, Ph.D.: Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT.

Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Ph.D., R.D.: Professor, Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

Mary Story, Ph.D., R.D.: Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.