Nutritious Eating with Soul
(NEW Soul) Study
We’re looking for African American men to participate in the 12-week Nutritious Eating with Soul (NEW Soul) study hosted through the University of South Carolina.
This study has partners in Columbia, SC, and Augusta, GA. In Columbia, SC, the study partners with Chef Judy Etheredge, owner of Celeb Studio in Columbia, SC. In Augusta, GA, the study partners with Chef Georgia Alexander. As part of this study, participants will receive one to-go plant-based meal per week.
If you are interested in Columbia, SC, we are currently recruiting African American men to participate in our 12-week healthy eating intervention on Tuesday evenings beginning in Fall 2025. Please fill out an application form here. Are you an African American woman interested in participating? Please fill out this interest form and we will let you know about other studies you may qualify. Encourage your male friends and family to join the study and they can share all class materials with you.
Recruitment is currently closed for Augusta, GA. At this time, no future opportunities to participate in Augusta, GA, are available. You may continue to check this website for updates: brie.net.
Participate
Interested in participating in our NEW Soul 12-week intervention? Recruitment is currently open for African American men in Columbia, SC. If you are interested in participating in the Columbia, SC location for Fall 2025, please fill out an application form. Are you an African American woman interested in participating? Please fill out this interest form and we will let you know about other studies you may qualify.
Past Studies
The NEW Soul study partnered with local soul food restaurants and chefs to deliver two different culturally tailored nutrition interventions to African American adults. NEW Soul examined the impact of diets (vegan and omnivorous low-fat) on changes in risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The study was conducted between 2018-2021 in Columbia, SC.
You may also visit the below articles and videos to learn more about the NEW Soul study:
- Turner-McGrievy G, Wilcox S, Frongillo EA, Murphy A, Hutto B, Williams K, Crimarco A, Wilson M, Davey M. The Nutritious Eating with Soul (NEW Soul) Study: Study design and methods of a two-year randomized trial comparing culturally adapted soul food vegan vs. omnivorous diets among African American adults at risk for heart disease. Contemp Clin Trials. 2020 Jan;88:105897.
- Okpara N, Chauvenet C, Turner-McGrievy G, Grich K. “Food doesn’t have power over me anymore!” Self-Efficacy as a Driver for Dietary Adherence among African American Adults Participating in Plant-Based and Meat-Reduced Dietary Interventions: A Qualitative Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2022 Apr;122(4):811-824
- Bernhart. J.A., Turner-McGrievy, G.M., Eustis, S., Wilson, M.J., Hutto, B., Wilcox, S. Physical Activity Assessment in African Americans Participating in a Dietary Weight Loss Trial Focused on Soul Food. Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice. 2023. Vol 31. 1373-1380
- Bernhart JA, Turner-McGrievy GM, Eustis S, Wilson M, Hutto B, Wilcox S, Frongillo EA, Murphy EA. Sensor-measured physical activity is associated with decreased cardiovascular disease risk in African Americans. Lifestyle Medicine. 2020; 1:e16.
- Turner-McGrievy GM, Wilcox S, Frongillo EA, Kim Y, Okpara N, Wilson MJ. Differences in dietary acceptability, restraint, disinhibition, and hunger among African American participants randomized to either a vegan or omnivorous soul food diet. Appetite. 2024 May 1;196:107280.
- Hu EA, Turner-McGrievy GM, Wilson MJ, Bailey S, Okpara N, Frongillo EA, Wilcox S. Adherence to a culturally adapted soul food vegan diet among African American adults increases diet quality compared to an omnivorous diet in the NEW Soul Study. Nutrition Research. In press. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2024.01.010.
- Bernhart, J.A., Quattlebaum, M., Eustis, S., Okpara, N., Wilson, M.J., Sentman, C., Turner-McGrievy, G.M. “It’s gonna be okay” – A qualitative exploration of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on African American participants in a dietary intervention study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2023. 123. Issue 12. Pages 1763-1771.
- Bernhart, J.A., Fellers, A., Wilson, M.J., Hutto, B., Bailey, S., Turner-McGrievy, G.M. COVID-19 pandemic associations on mental and physical health in African Americans participating in a behavioral intervention. 2023. 10(3070-3076). Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.
- Bernhart, J.A., Fellers, A.W., Turner-McGrievy, G.M., Wilson, M.J., Hutto, B. Socially Distanced Data Collection: Lessons Learned Using Electronic Bluetooth Scales to Assess Weight. Health Education & Behavior. 2022. 49(5): 765-769.
- Kuehn BM. Vegan Diets That Are Culturally Aligned With Traditional Soul Food Gain Popularity Among Black Individuals. Circulation. 2021 Aug 3;144(5):393-394.
- NHLBI research feature: Vegan soul food: Will it help fight heart disease, obesity?
- The NHLBI Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Seminar Series: The Role of Teaching Kitchens in Addressing Nutrition Disparities and Implementation Research.
- Students in the BRIE Lab: “Recent alumnus kicks off five-year plan as Rotary Global Scholar followed by return to UofSC to study medicine”
Community Advisory Board
Ashley Page Bookhart
SNAP-Ed Program Coordinator
USC Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior
Mary Jones, PhD, MPH
Director of Public Health Workforce Development and Adjunct Faculty
USC Arnold School of Public Health
Darrin Thomas
President at Thomas Media Group and Greek Traditions LLC
Study Benefits
Participating in one of the Behavioral Research in Eating Lab studies is fun and can be life changing for your health. See what our former participants have said about our studies and working with Dr. Brie and her team.
I’m happy!
I struggled with my health and my weight before working with Dr. Brie.
-Annie, age 60, Health Information Coordinator
Awesome!
I was able to lose a total of 50 POUNDS!
-Patcenia, age 56, Project Coordinator
I highly recommend!
I made a lifetime change…You are in for a treat.
-Peggy H, age 60, Retired Educator
Ask us about the New Soul Study!
Contact Us
Want to learn more about the study or be contacted about other upcoming studies? Fill out our online interest form and someone will respond to you.
Ashley Page Bookhart
SNAP-Ed Program Coordinator
USC Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior
Ashley Page Bookhart is a Program Coordinator on USC’s SNAP-Ed team based out of USC’s Arnold School of Public Health. She works with nonprofits, libraries and food policy council’s providing technical assistance on food system policy, system and environmental change. She currently serves as the Past Immediate Chair of the Columbia Food Policy Committee the first municipal food policy committee in the state. She also serves on the board of directors of Hannah House a local homeless shelter for women and children. Ashley is a proud alumnus of Converse College and University of South Carolina’s Masters of Social Work Program.
Mary Jones, PhD, MPH
Director of Public Health Workforce Development and Adjunct Faculty
USC Arnold School of Public Health
Dr. Mary Jones serves as the Director of Public Health Workforce Development and Adjunct Faculty at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health. She has worked in the field of Public Health and Healthcare for 20 years and was proud to serve as Project Manager for the DG3D and NEW Soul Studies from 2017-2023. She has worked specifically on minority health research over the last 13 years. Her research and public health experiences include obesity, diabetes, and heart disease prevention, community engagement and organizing, nutrition, health policy, program evaluation, cost effectiveness and health equity.
In other professional capacities, Dr. Jones works towards coalition development and sustainability and fosters collaborations for the translation of research into public health and health care practice via training and education. She has also served as a Health Educator for Prisma Health for 10 years and is certified through Emory University in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Healthy Lifestyles Coach. As a faculty member at USC, she has taught and/or currently teaches: Applied Aspects of Human Nutrition; Nutrition and Food Systems Capstone; University 101; Race, Equity and Health; and Perspectives in Public Health.
Darrin Thomas
President at Thomas Media Group and Greek Traditions LLC
Darrin Thomas is a native of Florence, South Carolina and currently resides in Columbia. Mr. Thomas is a graduate of the University Of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business where he received his undergraduate degree in Marketing and Management. Prior to his entrepreneurial career, Xerox Corporation employed Mr. Thomas as a Marketing Representative in Greenville, South Carolina.
In 1991 Mr. Thomas and his former partners Rod Terry and Gerry McCants, founded Black Pages USA, Inc. then Thomas-McCants Media, Inc. and are known throughout the market as Black Pages USA. Black Pages USA promotes minority businesses and provides a print or internet reference guide for consumers, major corporations and the like, who want to take advantage of services and products offered by minority businesses. They also host “Black Expo”, an event designed to give both minority owned businesses and major corporations the opportunity to reach minority consumers in five southeastern markets. Since that time, Mr. Thomas formed Thomas Media Group, LLC headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina focusing on publishing Black Pages directories and hosting Black Expos in Florida and South Carolina. In 2019, Thomas ceased published the printed version of the Black Pages to focus on Black Expo events in the southeast. Thomas Media Group currently operates 3 offices in the Southeastern United States.