---

May 15, 2014

SEC Symposium Highlights Researchers from All Conference Universities

The 2014 SEC Symposium will focus on prevention of obesity

By: Bryant Welbourne
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

All 14 member universities of the Southeastern Conference will be represented by faculty and administrators who will participate in the 2014 SEC Symposium in Atlanta, Sept. 21-23. The symposium is entitled Prevention of Obesity: Overcoming a 21st Century Public Health Challenge.

Obesity prevention and treatment are popular topics among media, lawmakers, healthcare professionals and others. And, while the subjects have gained attention during the past decade, the U.S. has not seen a significant reduction in population-level obesity rates over the same 10-year span. As a result, researchers at the SEC Symposium hope to identify ways to markedly reduce America’s obese and overweight populations, through prevention.

This year’s topics range from genetics, to technology and media, to environmental influences. The symposium is divided into eight sessions of formal presentations and includes informal breakout sessions intended to foster interaction and discussion among participants.

In addition to university presenters, there will also be two keynote speakers. Sunday, Sept. 21, Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association, will open the event. A second keynote address by Dr. Michael Lauer, Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, will begin Monday, Sept. 22.

Established by SEC Presidents and Chancellors, the annual SEC Symposium is led by an SEC university and focuses on an issue of global interest. It also showcases the academic excellence and underscores the educational and economic contributions of the SEC’s members to the vitality of the Southeast region, nation and world.

The SEC Symposium is an academic conference-type event that also includes the SEC Presidents, Chancellors and Provosts Reception, poster exhibitions, and SEC University Showcase. To learn more about the 2014 SEC Symposium, go to www.secsymposium.com.

Listed alphabetically below are the participants from each SEC university.

Dr. Shari Barkin, Director, Pediatric Obesity Research, Vanderbilt University

Dr. Leann Birch, William P. “Bill” Flatt Childhood Obesity Professor, University of Georgia

Dr. Kim Bissell, Director, Institute for Communication and Information Research, University of Alabama

Dr. Claude Bouchard, John W. Barton, Sr. Chair in Genetics and Nutrition, Louisiana State University

Dr. Sylvia Byrd, Director of Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, Mississippi State University

Dr. Lisa Cassis, Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Kentucky

Dr. Sarah Colby, Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee

Dr. Roger Cone, Chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University

Dr. Nikhil Dhurandhar, John H. Hernandez Endowed Professor in Health Promotion, Louisiana State University

Dr. Gene Fitzhugh, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee

Dr. Sara Gable, Associate Professor, University of Missouri

Dr. Matt Ganio, Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas

Dr. Alison Gustafson, Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky

Dr. Katie Kavanagh, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee

Dr. Carol Lammi-Keefe, Alma Beth Clark Professor, Louisiana State University

Dr. Rebecca Kelly, Director of Health Promotion and Wellness, University of Alabama

Dr. Jihong Liu, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina

Dr. Deborah Murray, Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach, University of Georgia

Dr. Rodolfo Nayga, Tyson Endowed Chair of Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas

Dr. Scott Owens, Associate Professor, University of Mississippi

Dr. Michael Perri, Dean of College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida

Dr. Bradley Phillips, Millikan-Reeve Professor, University of Georgia

Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale, Associate Research Professor, Mississippi State University

Dr. Larry Reagan, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina

Dr. Laura Reed, Assistant Professor, University of Alabama

Dr. Kristina von Castel-Roberts, Professor, University of Florida

Dr. Leah Robinson, Associate Professor, Auburn University

Dr. Mary Roseman, Associate Professor, University of Mississippi

Dr. David Schlundt, Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University

Dr. Joe Sharkey, Director of Program for Research Nutrition and Health Disparities, Texas A&M University

Dr. Patricia Sharpe, Research Professor, University of South Carolina

Dr. Melinda Sothern, Professor, Louisiana State University

Dr. Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri

Dr. Ya-Xiong Tao, Professor, Auburn University

Dr. Patricia Thomas, Professor, University of Georgia

Dr. Melinda Valliant, Associate Professor, University of Mississippi

Dr. Brynn Voy, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee

Dr. Danielle Wadsworth, Associate Professor, Auburn University

Dr. Judith Warren, Professor, Texas A&M University

Dr. Mark Wilson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Georgia