Dr. Caree Cotwright
Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright, an associate professor in the University of Georgia’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, is the director of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Laboratory. The overall goal of Dr. Cotwright’s work is to reduce the risk of childhood obesity among children aged 0-5 years. She emphasizes using health equity strategies to empower communities of color to thrive by adopting healthy lifestyle choices. Dr. Cotwright has served as the Principal Investigator for three Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-Healthy Eating Research grants centered on decreasing sugary beverage intake among young children. She also co-leads a USDA SNAP-Ed funded project to improve the wellness best practices in the early care and education setting.
Dr. Cotwright previously worked as a Research Fellow at the CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. During this time, she promoted former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Child Care initiative. Dr. Cotwright’s research interests include nutrition intervention, CBPR, and health equity. Her passion is to use arts-based approaches to combat obesity.
Dr. Cotwright is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2020 Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Distinguished Service by a Researcher Award and the Georgia Trend Magazine 40 Under 40 Award. She was also a featured TED talk speaker at the 2016 TED X UGA event. Dr. Cotwright is a registered and licensed dietitian who earned a PhD and MS in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Georgia. She is an esteemed graduate of Howard University, earning a BS in Biology. She lives in Athens, GA, with her loving husband, Marty, and her sweet, adorable daughters, Camara, Camille, and Camryn
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