CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 09/22/05

Stern focuses on obesity at D.W. Brooks Lecture

By Stephanie Schupska
University of Georgia

Obesity and its effects on Americans continue to be hot topics in health and science. Judith S. Stern, an expert in nutrition, will further the discussion at the 2005 D.W. Brooks Lecture Oct. 3 in Athens.

Stern, a University of California Davis professor of nutrition and internal medicine, has published extensively on nutrition, obesity and the effect of exercise on appetite and metabolism. Her speech will cover the topic, "Can We Fight Obesity without Fighting the Obese?"

"We're getting fatter as a nation," Stern said in a phone interview about the obesity problem. "It's predicted that if this is not turned around, we will all be obese by the year 2020. The epidemic of obesity is global."

In studying the global epidemic, Stern is focusing on how obesity impacts lipids, longevity and renal disease. She's researching a nondiet approach to health in obese women, dietary supplements for weight control and other issues.

The annual lecture will be at 11 a.m. at the University of Georgia in Master's Hall in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

Her lecture will follow the presentation of this year's D.W. Brooks Faculty Awards for Excellence winners at UGA. The awards are given annually to UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty who excel in teaching, research, extension and public service.

The awards were established in 1981 to recognize excellence in the CAES teaching program. In 1983, they expanded to include research, extension and county extension programs. An award for international agriculture was added in 1988 and is given in alternate years.

The lecture and awards are named for the late D.W. Brooks, founder and chairman emeritus of Gold Kist, Inc. Brooks was an advisor to seven U.S. presidents on agriculture and trade issues. He also started Cotton States Mutual Insurance Companies in 1941 to provide farmers with insurance. The CAES sponsors the annual lecture series in his memory.

Stern has a bachelor's degree in food and nutrition from Cornell University. She earned her master's and doctorate of science in nutrition at the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston. She became a research associate and later an assistant professor at Rockefeller University in the department of human behavior and metabolism in 1969. Stern joined UC Davis in 1975.

Popular magazines such as Redbook have published more than 150 of her articles. She's had more than 250 research papers in professional journals and serves as an editorial advisor to Prevention Magazine.

Stern is vice president of the American Obesity Association, a lay advocacy group she founded with Dr. Richard L. Atkinson. The group's goal is to advance understanding of obesity as a disease.

She is director of the UC Food Intake Laboratory Group, co- director of Alternative Medicine Center for Research in Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, program co-director of a nutrition training grant and director of a clinical nutrition unit animal models subcore lab.

Stern is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, a fellow of the American Heart Association, past president of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity and a member of the American Society for Nutrition Sciences and American Dietetic Association.

(Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)

Stephanie Schupska is the communications coordinator with the University of Georgia Honors College.

Experts/Sources:
Judith S Stern
After a hearty climb, Connect Abroad Italy students pose in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. (Photo by Angel Bhardwaj) CAES News
UGA ranks as leading doctoral institution for study abroad 12/20/24 Angel Bhardwaj
The University of Georgia remains among the top 10 U.S. universities for study abroad participation, according to the 2024 Open Doors Report released by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State. UGA boasts the highest study abroad participation to enrollment ratio of the top 7 ranked doctoral institutions, earning the No. 7 spot in overall participation and No. 3 in short-term study abroad programs.
HurricaneHeleneGreenhouseDamageCropped CAES News
UGA Extension supports resilience in Georgia farm communities after Hurricane Helene 12/19/24 Emily Cabrera
Hurricane Helene wrought sweeping devastation across Georgia’s agricultural sector in late September, leaving an indelible mark on both the land and the people who tend it, bringing focus to vulnerabilities in Georgia’s farming industry and the need for more robust safety nets. In addition to the physical destruction, the hurricane took an emotional toll on Georgia’s farmers. In response, UGA Extension has prioritized mental health support.
From left, CAES Associate Professor Abigail Borron and Fulbright Romanian-American Foundation Scholars Mihai Suteu, Daniyar Memedemin, Alina Zaharia, Andreea Ona and Daniel Chiciudean stand in front of an image of the Romanian flag projected onto a barn at UGArden. CAES News
Fulbright Scholars unite with UGA Extension to envision ag outreach model in Romania 12/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Arriving on the Athens campus of the University of Georgia in August 2023, five Romanian scholars experienced the same anticipation, excitement and apprehension as many first-year students.  Chosen as Fulbright Romanian-American Foundation Scholars, each serves on the faculty at one of three Romanian universities, specializing in fields from economics and engineering to plant breeding and biotechnology. The five scholars comprised the first cohort of the Romanian Extension Education Development Program, an ambitious three-year pilot effort to facilitate planning and implementation of extension services in Romania. 
Janiver in sunflower field AI web CAES News
A larger-than-life legacy: CAES student’s contagious enthusiasm inspired others 12/17/24 Jordan Powers
When Miriam Edelkind-Vealey applied for a summer role at a University of Georgia pollinator biodiversity lab in 2020, the junior undergrad didn’t quite know what to expect. After being told she got the position, Edelkind-Vealy didn’t hear anything for a few weeks. It was only then that she learned a collaborator on the project, second-year master’s degree student Amy Joy Janvier, had passed away.
In developing markets where making staple foods is a daily task and warmer climates where food spoilage is common, foods that have more longevity and are easily preserved can enhance economic opportunities by reducing food preparation tasks and lower environmental impact. CAES News
CAES researchers look to reduce food waste by extending shelf life 12/16/24 Lillian Sosbee
“Use by,” “Sell by” and “Best by” dates on food packaging can be helpful indicators of how long a consumer can store a food item before eating, but often these dates lead to high quantities of wasted food. About one-fifth of food produced for human consumption is discarded before it can be eaten, equating to 1 billion meals a day and contributing to global food insecurity.
Recognizing the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UGA graduates CAES News
UGA celebrates 15 years of Bulldog 100 12/13/24 Rachael Andrews
The University of Georgia Alumni Association released the 2025 Bulldog 100, a list of the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UGA graduates. The program, organized by the Division of Development & Alumni Relations, celebrates 15 years of honoring alumni and their entrepreneurial endeavors. Among this year’s class, businesses are headquartered in a total of eight states, with 87 of the businesses located in Georgia. In total, 142 alumni representing over two dozen industries are being recognized as a part of this year’s list.