Posted on June 16, 2004 at 11:00 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Dr. Douglas C. Heimburger, professor of nutrition sciences and medicine at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) has been named to the advisory board of the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Heimburger will serve a four-year term as part of the 16-member board, which is charged with advising the center administration on the direction and focus of center activities, as well as giving final approval to grant applications and research funding requests.

The Fogarty International Center promotes and supports scientific research and training internationally to reduce disparities in global health. Among its key areas of interest are obesity, the effects of mental illness and the burden of trauma and injury in developing countries.

“Obesity is on the rise globally,” says Heimburger, who specializes in obesity research and treatment. “Worldwide, obesity is becoming as prevalent as undernutrition.”

Part of Heimburger’s task with the center will be to help develop a strategy to combat global obesity. The center also trains foreign scientists in research techniques, to assist them in undertaking research projects in their home countries.

Heimburger has previously served in two national advisory positions. He was part of a National Cancer Institute study section from 1996-2001 and has served on the Food Advisory Committee to the Federal Drug Administration since 2003.