Recent Publications
Bail, J. R., Wilson, J., Tipre, M., Duck, A., Hall, K., Akinyele, O., Bowman, T., Hardy, C., Garner, M., Demark-Wahnefried, W., & Baskin, M. (2023). Harvest for health in survivors of chronic disease: A demonstration project in the Alabama Black Belt and Mississippi Delta Region. Translational behavioral medicine, ibad062. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibad062
Martins, C., Roekenes, J. A., Rehfeld, J. F., Hunter, G. R., Gower, B. A. (2023). Metabolic adaptation is associated with a greater increase in appetite following weight loss: a longitudinal study, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010.
Dike, C. R., Fittro, S., Oster, R. A., Morrow, C. D., Brandow, A., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Lebensburger, J. (2023). Gastrointestinal symptoms, diagnostic evaluations, and abdominal pathology in children with sickle cell disease. Pediatric blood & cancer, e30699. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.30699
Recent Awards
Lizzy Davis: Weight-focused vs. weight-neutral adaptive biobehavioral strategies for improving metabolic health in Black adults with Stage 1 Obesity: A pilot Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial.
Role: Co-investigator (PI: Drew Sayer), NIH P50
“Daughters, Mothers and Others Against Cancer”
New grants: 585363
Demark-Wahnefried | 01/01/2019–12/31/2021 | American Institute of Cancer Research
This grant will permit Dr. Demark-Wahnefried to conduct a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) of a diet-and exercise-based weight-loss intervention among 56 dyads (each comprising an overweight or obese cancer survivor of an obesity-related cancer and an overweight or obese “buddy” of their choosing) with the goal of reducing obesity and improving physical activity, diet quality, health-related quality of life (QoL), physical functioning and performance, and reducing select circulating biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNFa], insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1]).
Recent Publications
Alotaibi NZ, Lein DH, Yuen HK, Harris RA, Krick S, Plaisance EP, Lowman JD. Survey Validation of Exercise and Body Composition Testing and Exercise Training Programs for People With Cystic Fibrosis: A Delphi Study. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2025 Sep;60(9):e71262. doi: 10.1002/ppul.71262
Cedillo YE, Moellering DR, De Luca M. The mediating role of syndecan-4 in the negative association of healthy eating index with body mass index and android percent fat in premenopausal women. Nutr Health. 2025 Sep 16:2601060251378557. doi: 10.1177/02601060251378557. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40956908; PMCID: PMC12477450.
Das SK, Benasi G, Jakicic JM, … Whyte KJ, et al. The Physiology of the WEight-Reduced State (POWERS) study: environmental, psychological, and social determinants of health. Int J Obes. 2025. doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01911-5
Kyle TK, Garvey WT, Dunn JP, Salas XR, Stanford FC. Overcoming weight bias in health care systems. Am J Manag Care. 2025 Sep 1;31(9):e241-e243. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2025.89788. PMID: 40966598.
Wharton S, Lingvay I, Bogdanski P, Duque do Vale R, Jacob S, Karlsson T, Shaji C, Rubino D, Garvey WT; OASIS 4 Study Group. Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2025 Sep 18;393(11):1077-1087. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2500969. PMID: 40934115.
Wharton S, Freitas P, Hjelmesæth J, Kabisch M, Kandler K, Lingvay I, Quiroga M, Rosenstock J, Garvey WT; STEP UP trial group. Once-weekly semaglutide 7·2 mg in adults with obesity (STEP UP): a randomised, controlled, phase 3b trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025 Sep 14:S2213-8587(25)00226-8. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00226-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40961952.
Lingvay I, Bergenheim SJ, Buse JB, Freitas P, Garvey WT, Harder-Lauridsen NM, Rosenstock J, Sahu K, Wharton S; STEP UP T2D trial group. Once-weekly semaglutide 7·2 mg in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes (STEP UP T2D): a randomised, controlled, phase 3b trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025 Sep 14:S2213-8587(25)00225-6. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00225-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40961953.
Zengul AG, Thirumalai M, Bertrand B, Chandler-Laney P, Rimmer JH, Hill JO, Davis EN. Dietitians' perspectives on nutritional needs and inclusive software solutions for individuals with physical disabilities: a qualitative analysis. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2025 Aug 26:1-12. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2025.2548856. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40855920.
Harper L, Reed W, McDonald B, Antonio M, Buford K, Steingold E, Anderson K, Taddia V, Hester GM. Postural Stability and Muscle Function Responses to Acute Brisk Walking in Young and Middle-aged Women. Sports Medicine and Health Science. In Press. Act. August 15, 2025. doi.org/10.1016/j.smhs.2025.08.001.
Recent Recognition
Barbara Gower was appointed University Professor in Nutrition Sciences by the Board of Trustees.
Amy Goss received the 2025 SHP Excellence in Scholarship Award and was honored as an inaugural Excellence in Nutrition Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).
Eric Plaisance was elected incoming Chair of the American Society for Nutrition’s Research Interest Section, Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism.
Recent Grants Awarded
The Pre-Doctoral Training in Obesity-Related Research (T32HL105349) was renewed for five additional years beginning August 1, 2025. PI: Barbara Gower
Douglas Moellering is co-investigator on Telehealth-based Navigation to Promote Mental Health Care among Young Adult Cancer Patients. NIH/DHHS (R01). 04/01/2026–03/31/2031. PI: Hsiao-Lan Wang
Catia Martins received a 2025 SHP Research Pilot award and a 2025 UAB Faculty Development Grant Program award.