2007-2008 Scientific Advisory Board Members
Dr. Messina is the co-owner of Nutrition Matters, Inc., a nutrition consulting company; an adjunct associate professor at Loma Linda University, and the executive director of the Soy Nutrition Institute. He is a former program director with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where he initiated a research program on the anticancer effects of soy. Since leaving the NCI, he has devoted his time primarily to the study of the health effects of soyfoods and soybean isoflavones. He writes extensively on these subjects, having published more than 50 articles and book chapters for health professionals, and has given more than 400 presentations to both consumer and professional groups throught the United States and in 35 countries. He has also organized and chaired seven international symposia on the role of soy in preventing and treating chronic disease. Dr. Messina is the co-author of three books: The Simple Soybean and Your Health (1994), The Vegetarian Way (1996) and The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications (1996, 2004).
Patricia Queen Samour is director of Nutrition Services and the director of the dietetic internship program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard University-affiliated hospital in Boston, Mass. An active ADA participant, she has served on many influential committees during her 30-year membership. Her publication record includes more than 30 scientific articles and book chapters covering many aspects of human nutrition. She is on the editorial board of The Soy Connection, a quarterly publication reaching more than 135,000 dietitians and other health professionals.
Cheryl Sullivan is a research dietitian at the National Soybean Research Laboratory, where she works primarily with the Illinois Center for Soy Foods and the World Initiative for Soy and Human Health (WISHH). Ms. Sullivan's publications include Minerals From Plant Foods: Strategies for Maximizing Nutrition (2002) and Simply Soy: A Variety of Choices (1997). She is a member of the American Dietetic Association and is active in several dietetics practice groups, including those focusing on hunger and malnutrition, vegetarian nutrition, and cardiovascular nutrition. She is a former editor of Vegetarian Nutrition Update, a quarterly publication of the ADA Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetics Practice Group.
Dr. Jim Painter currently serves as the chairperson of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences at Eastern Illinois University. In 2005, he produced a documentary entitled Portion Size Me, as a rebuttal to the documentary Super Size Me. Dr. Painter's documentary aimed to show that one can maintain weight and health if choices made at fast-food restaurants include healthy options and foods consumed in proper portions. Throughout his career, he has made many contributions to soy education, including the development of a web-based nutrition education program on the health benefits of consuming soy.
Dr. Carstensen is a primary care physician in Aurora, Co. Since 1974, the American Board of Family Medicine has certified him as a Diplomate every seven years. He has particular interest in the preventive and disease treatment benefits of nutrition and exercise. He has served on many wellness and prevention themed committees throughout his career, including the Colorado Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, the Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative Obesity Committee, the Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition Health Care Systems Committee, the Colorado Department of Public Health's Task Force on Physical Activity and Nutrition, and the Denver Metro Health and Wellness Committee. The American Academy of Family Physicians designated him as media contact person for nutritional issues to serve jointly with a Colorado member of the American Dietetic Association.