Improving Weight Loss Outcomes in African Americans

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Candidate: Jamy D. Ard, MD, is motivated and committed to an academic career involving clinical research. He has demonstrated his ability to complete projects and work independently in the past, and shows the qualtities necessary to become a productive researcher with the education and training provided by this grant. Sponsors: W. Timothy Garvey, MD, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition Sciences, has as long track record of mentoring clinical researchers. Dr. David Allison, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Clinical Nutrition Research Center, and Dr. Barbara Gower, Director of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) Laboratory Core, will serve as co-sponsors. Dr. Laura Svetkey, Director of the Duke Hypertension Center, will also play a pivotal role as co-sponsor by participating in formal appraisals of Dr. Ard's progress and collaborating on activities proposed in the research plan. Environment: UAB provides depth and diversity of clinical research endeavors as well as state-of-the-art physical resources necessary to support this K23 application. Specific resources that will be utilized in this proposal include UAB's NIH funded Clinical Nutrition Research Center, the UAB Pittman GCRC, the K30 Clinical Research Training Program, and research facilities and resources within the Department of Nutrition Sciences. Research: The proposal for this training opportunity is to investigate optimal ways to manage obesity in African Americans, combining behavioral and physiologic perspectives. The specific aims of the research plan include identifying key components of a culturally appropriate intervention for weight loss in African Americans and characterizing the physiologic effects of a dietary pattern that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, dietary fiber, and low-fat dairy products on cardiovascular risk factors in African Americans. The proposed training and research will provide Dr. Ard with the necessary skills and experience to advance his career to an independent investigator in obesity in special populations such as African Americans.