ARAMARK Sponsors a New Weight Management Fellowship Program Administered by the Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association

Denver, CO. – It was announced today at the ADA Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo that Delores James, PhD, RD,LDN has been named the first Fellow in a new Weight Management Fellowship program. The Fellowship, administered by the ADA’s Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group and sponsored by ARAMARK, will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of weight management educational materials for African Americans with limited health literacy.

“ARAMARK has been a corporate partner with the American Dietetic Association since 2005. We view our sponsorship of this Fellowship as part of our responsibility to help educate and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to adopt healthier eating practices,” said Mary Ann Wyman, RD, LD, and Executive Vice President of ARAMARK’s Healthcare group.

ADA’s Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group solicited nominations earlier this year and received numerous applications with proposed action learning projects, ultimately selecting Dr. James, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Education and Behavior at the University of Florida. She is actively engaged in research related to obesity, weight management and health literacy, particularly around understanding the socio-cultural causes of health disparities among African Americans, low income children.

James’s work with this Fellowship will identify desirable features of culturally-based weight management educational materials, evaluate their likelihood of consumer acceptance and evaluate the consumer’s ability to understand and use the materials.

The new ADA Fellowship, exclusively sponsored by ARAMARK, was created to actively engage a registered dietitian and support professional development through a service learning project that promotes healthy lifestyle changes with respect to weight management.