Southern Miss Nutrition Professor One of 35 Picked to Attend Premier Health Institute

[Newsguy]

HATTIESBURG– Dr. Jamie Zoellner, assistant professor of nutrition and food systems (NFS) at the University of Southern Mississippi, was among two nutritionists from across the country chosen to attend a seminar hosted by one of the nation’s most prestigious health institutes. Only 35 researchers from a field of 200 were selected to travel to Airlie, Va., in July to participate in the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) two-week seminar, “Summer Institute on Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials Involving Behavioral Interventions.”“It was a great honor to be chosen,” said Zoellner. “It was a competitive application process, and I was proud to represent Southern Miss’ department of NFS and the Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative (DNIRI).” The DNIRI is a tri-state initiative in Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana to improve nutritional health in the Mississippi Delta. Zoellner said the knowledge she gained at the institute will aid in efforts to create a healthier Mississippi.“The institute provided me with an understanding of how to bring more scientific rigor to our community-based research efforts in the Delta,” she said. “The faculty provided practical insight into a variety of research topics including treatment fidelity, research ethics, validity, randomization, psychometrics, sample size and power analysis, Data Safety Monitoring Boards and much more.”Zoellner, a native of Perryville, Mo., teaches introductory nutrition, nutrition assessment and community nutrition to undergraduate students. For more information on the University of Southern Mississippi Department of Nutrition and Food Systems, call 601.266.5377. Dr. Jamie Zoellner

More... (http://www.usm.edu/pr/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113&Itemid=2)