NCCOR External Scientific Panel

The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) has external advisers to enhance its programs and areas of expertise. Begun in 2012, the NCCOR External Scientific Panel (NESP) advises NCCOR on its future direction and provides guidance on specific projects or emerging work.

The Panel serves as a valuable liaison between NCCOR and the extramural community, informing the Collaborative on new science and ideas and on connections to extramural research, practice, and policy. Further, it contributes to the ongoing refinement of NCCOR’s strategic plan, including helping to establish key performance indicators and other metrics associated with evaluating the impact of the Collaborative.

As part of its strategic planning efforts, NCCOR asked NESP members to provide input on how NCCOR can best accelerate progress in reducing childhood obesity. All along, the Panel and NCCOR member liaisons to NESP ensure that work generated adheres to several guiding principles. As projects or initiatives are developed, it is critical to:

• Leverage existing efforts and avoid duplication
• Ensure that disparities are addressed in a concrete way
• Incorporate training and tools, as appropriate
• Leverage opportunities to bring in other sectors (education, transportation, environmental sustainability, etc.)

NESP is comprised of experts from a range of disciplines relevant to childhood obesity, and panel members were nominated and selected by the NCCOR funders because their respective expertise aligns with one or more of NCCOR’s goals.

NESP Members

Shari Barkin, MD, MSHS

William K. Warren Foundation Endowed Chair
Professor of Pediatrics
Division Chief of Academic General Pediatrics
Director of Pediatric Obesity Research
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Ross C. Brownson, PhD

Professor of Epidemiology
Director
Prevention Research Center
Washington University in St. Louis

John Cawley, PhD

Professor
Department of Policy Analysis and Management
Department of Economics
Co-Director
Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors and Disparities
Cornell University

Terry Huang, PhD, MPH, MBA

Professor & Director, Center for Systems and Community Design
City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

Shiriki Kumanyika, PhD, MPH

Research Professor
Dornsife School of Public Health
Drexel University

Lisa M. Powell, PhD

Distinguished Professor and Director of Health Policy and Administration
Director Illinois Prevention Research Center
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health

Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH

Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Director, Institute for Health Promotion Research
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH

Irving Schulman, MD Endowed Professor in Child Health
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Stanford Prevention Research Center
Stanford University School of Medicine
Director of the Center for Healthy Weight
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

James F. Sallis, PhD

Distinguished Professor
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine
University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
Director
Active Living Research (ALR)

Mary Story, PhD, RD

Professor of Global Health and Community and Family Medicine
Duke University
Director
Healthy Eating Research (HER)

Elsie M. Taveras, MD, MPH

Chief of the Division of General Academic Pediatrics
Director of Pediatric Population Health Management Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Population Medicine Harvard Medical School