Loma Linda University professor Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, has been named to the federal government’s 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
A professor at the LLU schools of Public Health and Medicine, Sabaté was announced as a member of the committee when U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar released the names of 20 nationally recognized scientists who compose the committee.
Sabaté is one of only three California scientists and the first Loma Linda University faculty member to be named to the committee.
“I’m very happy to have been called to this task,” Sabaté said, “but I’m also humbled because there will be thousands of pages to read, many trips to Washington to make, and many discussions with my peers.”
The committee’s review will help develop the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are updated every five years and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition programs and policies, providing food-based recommendations to help prevent diet-related chronic diseases and promote overall health.
“We have the opportunity to craft improvements in the diet and health of Americans, and since many other countries look to America for guidance, we also have an opportunity to influence the eating patterns of people around the world,” Sabaté said.
Born in Barcelona, Spain, Sabaté moved to this country in the early 1980s to study public health nutrition. He currently serves as director of the Center for Nutrition, Lifestyle and Disease Prevention at Loma Linda University School of Public Health. He has authored more than 150 research articles in scientific journals and is widely recognized as an authority on Mediterranean, sustainable, and plant-based diets.
Helen Hopp Marshak, PhD, dean of the School of Public Health, is delighted to see Sabaté recognized for his expertise in the field of nutrition
“Selection to this committee represents the culmination of decades of study on the part of Dr. Sabaté and his team,” Marshak said. “His research in vegetarian and plant-based nutrition over the years has ranked him as one of the country's leading authorities on nutritional epidemiology. We see this also as a recognition of excellence for over 50 years of prevention research at the School of Public Health.”