Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Seeks Nominations

HHS and the Department of Agriculture are seeking nominees to serve on the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee that will play an integral role in developing the Dietary Guidelines. Candidates should have an advanced degree in a nutrition- or health-related field, with at least 10 years of experience in academia, research or as a practitioner or other health professional in a field related to one or more of the scientific topics to be examined. It is preferred that nominees have expertise in more than one of the topic areas.

Those topics are:

• dietary patterns
• ultra-processed food
• beverages
• added sugars
• saturated fat
• behavioral strategies
• weight management

In selecting committee members, HHS and the USDA hope to achieve balance in points of view and expertise, experience, education, and institutional affiliation. In addition, the two departments share a goal of establishing a diverse committee membership that reflects the racial, ethnic, gender and geographic diversity within the United States.

Because members of the committee will collaborate to review the latest scientific evidence and develop science-based recommendations, strong communication, time management, problem solving and critical thinking skills are essential, and flexibility is a must. Leadership experience and participation on previous expert panels also will be considered.

All complete nomination packages will be reviewed by HHS and USDA program staff based on education, professional experience and scientific expertise, after which nominees will be evaluated by the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health in consultation with the USDA Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services.

The vetting process will include a background check by HHS to identify any financial, ethical, legal, and/or criminal conflict of interest that would prohibit candidates from serving on the committee. HHS ethics officials also will ensure that all interests and affiliations of proposed committee members comply with applicable conflict of interest statutes, regulations issued by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, supplemental agency requirements and other applicable federal ethics rules.

Finally, each committee member will be required to submit a confidential financial disclosure report at the time of their appointment and annually thereafter. Reports will be reviewed by HHS ethics officials for financial conflicts of interest and compliance with federal ethics rules.

According to the AAFP’s Healthy Foods policy, “Family physicians play an important role in counseling patients on nutrition and healthy behaviors across the lifespan. Family physicians are also uniquely positioned to identify individuals in need of support and connect them to valuable community resources.”

If you’re interested in pursuing this opportunity to share your knowledge and utilize your expertise, or if you know someone who is, don’t delay: The deadline to submit nominations is July 15, 2022. More information about participation requirements and how to submit nominations is available on the Dietary Guidelines website.