The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) National Alumni Society selected Michelle Cardel, Ph.D., M.S., R.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics and Associate Director of the Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, as a recipient of the 2018 UAB Young Alumni Rising Star Award. The society annually honors five alumni under the age of 35 who have demonstrated an ability to excel personally and professionally while committing time and energy in service to the university and local community.
Since graduating from UAB with a master’s degree in clinical nutrition in 2009 and doctorate in nutrition sciences in 2012, Cardel has developed a robust research portfolio in obesity, nutrition, health disparities, and weight management initiatives. She currently serves as a member of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, fellow of The Obesity Society, past-chair of the Obesity Research Interest Section for the American Society for Nutrition, and director of UF’s Obesity Research Alliance.
Cardel has also been the recipient of the UAB Outstanding Young Alumni Award, the Charles Barkley Young Investigator Award, the UAB’s Outstanding Woman Award, and was part of the Dannon Nutrition Leadership Institute. She recently received a National Institute of Health K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to develop an innovative weight loss intervention for teenagers.
The UAB National Alumni Society will recognize Cardel at a special reception at the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts on Thursday, Sept. 20.