News & Events
Find your care
Our specialists help you prevent and manage health conditions and meet your goals with individualized, expert nutritional care. For help finding clinical nutrition care, call 310-825-7921. To reach the Medical Weight Management Program, please call 310-825-8173.
Jump to: Past Events | In the news
Current Events
UCLA Healthier Weight Management Webinar Series
Tuesdays, 3-4 pm via Zoom
To sign up, email [email protected] or call 310-825-8173

Past Events
October 22, 2022

Course Brochure and Registration - PDF >
March 13, 2021
Personalized Nutrition and Primary Care 2021: The Essential Role of Nutrition in Immunity

Course Brochure and Registration - PDF >
UCLA Medical Weight Management Team Complimentary Online Seminar
April 14, 2020 - THE INFLAMED BODY with Dr. Vijaya Surampudi - Slide Presentation
April 21, 2020 - ACTIVITY FOR WEIGHT LOSS with Dr. Lauren Lemieux - Slide Presentation
April 28, 2020 - EAT WELL, LIVE HEALTHY DURING COVID-19 with Dr. Zhaoping Li - Slide Presentation
May 5, 2020 - FOOD: NECESSITY, HABIT & ADDICTION with Dr. Michael Garcia - Slide Presentation
May 12, 2020 - PERSONALIZED NUTRITION with Dr. David Heber - Slide Presentation
December 7, 2019
Personalized Nutrition and Primary Care 2019

Iris Cantor Auditorium - Geffen Hall, UCLA Campus, Los Angeles, California
Course Brochure and Registration - PDF >
January 12, 2019

November 3, 2018
Personalized Nutrition and Primary Care: Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition

NRB Auditorium - UCLA Campus, Los Angeles, California
Course Brochure and Registration - PDF >
UCLA Center for Human Nutrition cordially invites you to: AN INSIDER'S LOOK

Last week we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition! The Center has helped thousands of patients achieve their health and weight loss goals and continues to be a leader in research, patient care, and education. Thank U for all that you do!
September 16-19, 2017
11th Congress of the International Society of Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics - Los Angeles, CA
February 6, 2016
Your Personal Prescription for Wellness
Discuss Strategies for Weight Management that Involve both the Mind and Body. Hear and Meet the Experts
Topics:
- Anti-Inflammatory Diet from Chinese Medicine Perspective
- Why am I not Losing Weight in the Gym?
- Microbiome: Get Those Bugs Working for You
- Understanding the Challenges of Sticking to Healthy Lifestyle Choices and Moving Through Them
Speakers:
- Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD
- Vijaya Surampudi, MD, MS
- Lawrence B. Taw, MD
- Alicia Trocker, MS, RDN
Where: UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, Main Auditorium
1250 16th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
When: Saturday, February 6th, 2016 9:00 - 12:00 PM
RSVP Individual $25/Group $20 per person. ucla-wellness.eventbrite.com
October 24, 2015
Community Presentation: Comprehensive Treatment of Obesity
About 25% of the Californians are obese. Obesity is a serious medical disease and it has surpassed tobacco as the number one cause of preventable death in this country. The UCLA Center of Obesity and METabolic Health (COMET) is organizing a community presentation to discuss the epidemics, medical, dietary and surgical management of obesity and its related morbidities. Five UCLA experts will discuss the latest treatment options and answer questions.
Organizer: The UCLA Center for Obesity and METabolic Health (COMET)
Speakers:
- Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD - Medical management of obesity
- Lauren Maddahi, RD - Healthy diet for obese people
- Simon Beaven, MD, PhD - Fatty liver disease
- Erik P Dutson, MD - Overview of bariatric surgery
- Yijun Chen, MD - The clinical benefits of bariatric surgery
Where: The Lundring Events Center
130 Overton Court, Thousand Oaks, Ca 91360
Get directions >
When: Saturday, Oct 24th, 2015
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
RSVP to reserve your seats. Email: [email protected] or call us at 310-825-7163. Website: surgery.ucla.edu/bariatrics
In The News
Diet for Your Diagnosis: Nutrition Plays Prime Role in Treating Cancer
UCLA Health Connect March 2, 2022 by Chayil Champion
“Nutritional oncology is a new field that is using precision nutrition and precision oncology together to try to optimize the prevention, treatment and survivorship of cancer patients,” said David Heber, MD, PhD, founding director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. Read more >
Eating an Avocado Daily Increases Elasticity and Firmness in Skin, Study Shows
UCLA Health Connect January 26, 2022 by Chayil Champion
In a recent study conducted through a collaboration at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, avocado consumption was shown to increase skin elasticity and firmness. Read more >
What You Need To Know About Processed Foods - and Why It Is So Hard To Quit Them
UCLA Health Connect December 22, 2021 by Chayil Champion
Michael Garcia, MD, a nutrition specialist at UCLA Health, said if people understand what processed foods are, they can make better decisions for their health. . Read more >
Simple Solutions for Curbing Teens' Unhealthy Snacking
Clinical Advisor.com July 20, 2021 by Kristin Della Volpe
Snacking among adolescents accounts for approximately two-thirds of their recommended daily limit of added sugar and one-third of the daily limit for solid fats and refined grains, according to data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey . Read more >
11 Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods That Fight Chronic Disease
Prevention.com May13, 2020 by Brielle Gregory
Inflammation is a buzzword attached to almost everything we eat these days, whether it’s about avoiding a food that causes it or eating a food that reduces it. Why? Inflammation has a reputation as the “bad guy” when it comes to your health . Read more >
Eating Your Way Toward a Healthy Immune System
UCLA Health Newsroom April 29, 2020 by
The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked anxiety and fear throughout the country and prompted many people to explore the best approaches to protecting their health. Read more >
Pomegranate juice and extract consumption by healthy women increases resistance to sun damage
UCLA Health Newsroom October 24, 2019 by
April UCLA researchers found that the oral consumption of pomegranate juice and extract reduced the risk of UVB radiation, which can lead to skin damage. Read more >
UCLA Medical Center - US News Hospital Ranking

The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition features one of the most thorough weight management programs in the country. The Risk Factor Obesity (RFO) Program offers patients calorie-limiting dietary regimens, physical activity and behavior modification tools. Doctors in this program treat obesity as a "multifactorial disorder," addressing the multiple causes of the disease specific to the individual. Upon first visit, they collect a patient’s blood labs, body composition and weight history, and conduct a physical examination, among other tests. Read more >
Weight loss clinician answers popular questions
Vijaya Surampudi, MD Assistant Director of the UCLA RFO Weight Management Program

November 19, 2018
Quora hosted an online Q&A session with Dr. Vijaya Surampudi about nutrition and weight loss. Her responses were viewed nearly 40,000 times, and Forbes and Apple News syndicated parts of the session.
Black Tea May Help With Weight Loss, too
October 4, 2017
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Psychology Today, Daily Mail, Medical News Today, Metro.co.uk, The Independent, KPRC-TV, Houston, Texas, Yahoo! Style, MSN and 72 additional news outlets published stories on research finding that black tea may contribute to weight loss through a mechanism involving gut bacteria. Susanne Henning, lead author and adjunct professor at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, and Dr. Zhaoping Li, senior author and director at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, were quoted.
Consistency Is Key For Weight Loss, Study Says
CNN Health August 28, 2017
Dr. Zhaoping Li, director at UCLA's Center for Human Nutrition, comments in article by CNN Health magazine that the findings are consistent with what has been seen in scientific literature.
Does Drinking Collagen Supplements Actually Do Anything for Your Skin?
Self Magazine August 22, 2017
Dr. Zhaoping Li, director at UCLA's Center for Human Nutrition, was quoted by SELF magazine in a story about the efficacy of callagen supplements.
Is Drinking Something Hot Actually The Best Way To Cool Off?
LAist.com August 4, 2017
How hot drinks affect the body - LAist.com published a story about the health effects of hot beverages that featured Dr. Zhaoping Li, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.
Catherine Carpenter, PhD shows us the proper way to grill meats
Catherine Carpenter, PhD, MPH, is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health.
Tenured Faculty Position in Clinical Nutrition
The Division of Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is recruiting a physician-scientist for a tenured faculty position. This individual will provide leadership in nutrition education, nutrition research and support the clinical nutrition program. The primary areas of research and clinical practice of the division are in the treatment and prevention of obesity and obesity-associated disease. This includes the role of nutrition, phytochemicals, and botanical dietary supplements in the prevention and treatment of common forms of metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Learn more &ical dietary supplements in the prevention and treatment of common forms of metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. gt;

UCLA Weight-loss Program Named One of Top 15 in Nation
Fox News Highlights UCLA Weight Loss Program
KTTV-Channel 11 News on May 21, 2012 ran a story on the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition's Risk Factor Obesity (RFO) program. Two patients who each lost at least 100 pounds were featured. Dr. David Heber, professor of medicine and founding Center Director, was interviewed and also appeared in-studio discussing liquid diets, food addiction and compulsive eating. The story was reprised on the FOX 10:00 p.m. news on May 21 and Good Day L.A. on May 23. Video courtesy of KTTV-Channel 11 News.