Pennington Biomedical's Dr. Catherine Champagne Selected Named an Excellence in Nutrition Fellow
BATON ROUGE—The American Society for Nutrition, or ASN, announced the first awardees of the Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of the American Society for Nutrition, or FASN, recognizing 55 distinguished members for their ongoing contributions to the field and sustained engagement in the nutrition community. Included among the honorees is Dr. Catherine Champagne, Professor of Dietary Assessment and Nutrition Counseling and Nutritional Epidemiology.
"Dr. Champagne's contributions to the field of nutrition have been nothing short of extraordinary," said Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical. "Her leadership in dietary assessment and nutrition counseling has had a profound impact, not only at the Center but on public health at large. We are incredibly proud to see her recognized among the inaugural Excellence in Nutrition Fellows—an honor that is truly well-deserved."
This new recognition program honors outstanding nutrition professionals who are 10 or more years past their terminal degree and have been an ASN Scientist, Clinician, or Professional member for 5 or more years. Fellows have demonstrated significant impact in their career paths, as well as service to the Society. To accommodate diverse career trajectories, criteria were developed for research, translational, and combination career paths. The FASN designation is a mark of excellence in the field of nutrition as it signifies their significant contributions to advancing nutrition science and practice and their dedication to the highest standards of the profession.
Dr. Champagne recently celebrated 35 years of service at Pennington Biomedical. Her research expertise is in dietary counseling, dietary intake assessment, and nutritional epidemiology.
Under Dr. Champagne's leadership, the Nutritional Epidemiology Lab assesses dietary intakes of various population groups and provides nutrition education and/or counseling to improve diet and health. Part of her team's current activities include working on the nationwide Nutrition for Precision Health Study—the largest precision nutrition research effort of its kind.
During Dr. Champagne's remarkable career, she was a leading developer on the DASH Diet Collaborative Research Group, the group that created the landmark "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension," or DASH, Diet. Since its development, the DASH Diet has been consistently ranked among the top diets ever developed by U.S. News & World Report and was named the top heart healthy eating style by the American Heart Association.
In addition, Dr. Champagne has been instrumental in the planning and on-going success of the Irene W. Pennington Wellness Day for Women. The Wellness Day, which has been held for the past 25 years and is a highlight of the Pennington Biomedical calendar, in large part thanks to Dr. Champagne.
"At the start of my term as President of ASN, I set a clear priority to champion the professional growth and career advancement of our members who are at their mid-career stage," said Sarah Booth, Ph.D., ASN President. "I am thrilled to announce our inaugural Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of ASN to honor our seasoned professionals and their achievements that are driving our field forward."
The inaugural group of Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of ASN will be introduced at NUTRITION 2025 during the Opening Plenary Session on May 31:
2025 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of ASN (FASN)
David Allison, Ph.D., Indiana University Bloomington
Richmond N. O. Aryeetey, Ph.D., MPH, University of Ghana
Regan L. Bailey, Ph.D., MPH, RD, Texas A&M University
Jeannette M. Beasley, Ph.D., MPH, RDN, New York University
Ann L. Anderson Berry, MD, Ph.D., University of Nebraska Medical Center
Andrew W. Brown, Ph.D., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Katie Brown, BS, MS, EdD, RD, National Dairy Council
Catherine Champagne, Ph.D., RDN, LDN, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Guoxun Chen, Ph.D., Huazhong Agricultural University
Christopher J. Cifelli, Ph.D., National Dairy Council
James F. Collins, Ph.D., University of Florida
Jamie A. Cooper, Ph.D., University of Georgia
Sai Das, Ph.D., Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Zora Djuric, Ph.D., University of Michigan
Heather A. Eicher-Miller, Ph.D., Purdue University
Alison L. Eldridge, Ph.D., RD, Nestlé Nutrition Institute, Switzerland
Sarah K. Gebauer, Ph.D., US Food and Drug Administration
Alison Gernand, Ph.D., MPH, RD, The Pennsylvania State University
Javier Gonzalez, Ph.D., University of Bath, UK
Amy M. Goss, Ph.D., MS, RDN, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Carolyn Gunther, Ph.D., RDN, The Ohio State University
Daniela Hampel, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
Hannah Holscher, Ph.D., RD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Debbie Humphries, Ph.D., Yale University
Elizabeth J. Johnson, Ph.D., Tufts University
Gilberto Kac, Ph.D., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Young-Hee Kang, Ph.D., Hallym University, Korea
Heather Leidy, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Danielle G. Lemay, Ph.D., USDA ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center
Jef Leo J. Leroy, Ph.D., International Food Policy Research Institute
Cindy W. Leung, ScD, MPH, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Zhaoping Li, MD, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Zhenhua Liu, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst
Jens Lykkesfeldt, MSc, Ph.D., DMSc, ERT, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
William A. Masters, Ph.D., Tufts University
Kathleen J. Melanson, Ph.D., RD, LDN, University of Rhode Island
Amy E. Millen, Ph.D., University at Buffalo
Amy Mobley, Ph.D., RD, University of Florida
Laura E. Murray-Kolb, Ph.D., Purdue University
Jennifer A. Nasser, Ph.D., RD, Drexel University
Julie Obbagy, RD, Ph.D., US Department of Agriculture
Helena Pachon, Ph.D., MPH, Emory University
Cristina Palacios, Ph.D., Florida International University
Stefan Pasiakos, Ph.D., US NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Michael Pellizzon, Ph.D., Research Diets, Inc.
Michael Rothkopf, MD, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Shivani Sahni, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
Harini Sampath, Ph.D., Rutgers University
Saame "Raz" Shaikh, MS, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Christine P. Stewart, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
Kelly Swanson, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Bernardus Jan-Willem J. van Klinken, MD, Ph.D., MS, NutrioMed BV Consulting, Netherlands
Saroja Voruganti, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Taylor C. Wallace, Ph.D., CFS, FACN, FAND, Think Healthy Group, LLC
Fang Fang Zhang, MD, Ph.D., Tufts University
"The ASN Foundation extends a hearty congratulations to the inaugural Excellence in Nutrition Fellows for their ongoing achievements that propel the future of nutrition science and practice, and for their commitment to the Society," said Paul Coates, Ph.D. Chair, ASN Foundation Board of Trustees. "We look forward to celebrating their outstanding achievements at NUTRITION 2025, May 31—June 3, 2025, in Orlando."
For more information about the Excellence in Nutrition Fellows program, ASN, the ASN Foundation, and a comprehensive list of ASN's award opportunities, visit nutrition.org/foundation/asn-fellows/.
About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Pennington Biomedical has the vision to lead the world in promoting metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society. The center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is a campus in the LSU System.
The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 600 employees within a network of 44 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is a globally recognized state-of-the-art research institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
For more information, see www.pbrc.edu.
Provided by Louisiana State University