At a festive ceremony Feb. 16, Veronica Atkins—wife of the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins and chair of the Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation—was given a special surprise by members of the Foundation: the dedication of the new Lifestyles Intervention Laboratory at USC in her name.

The Veronica Atkins Lifestyles Intervention Laboratory will feature an exercise facility, a cooking kitchen and diagnostic facilities where Michael Goran, professor of preventive medicine, and his team can conduct clinical trials on programs that study the role of exercise, nutrition counseling and lifestyle changes on childhood obesity and diabetes risk.

Teens who have been through the nutrition counseling program told Atkins how the program had changed their lives—and gave a cooking demonstration using the healthful eating techniques they had learned.

Goran recently was awarded the new Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Chair in Childhood Obesity and Diabetes.

“I am so proud and honored to have my name associated with this important lab. Like Dr. Atkins, I am deeply concerned about the damaging effects of the standard American diet and its association with the alarming rise in children being diagnosed with Type II diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions. So, it’s particularly rewarding to be involved with a program whose mission is to teach kids to eat right and avoid future health problems,” Atkins said. “The young people whose stories we heard are living proof of what can be accomplished here, and I know that they, as well as Michael and his team, have a productive and exciting future in store for them.”

The Atkins Foundation seeks to positively impact disease prevention and health management worldwide by supporting nutritional research and educational programs. Established with a $40 million endowment in August 2003, the Foundation provides grants to support independent scientific, evidence-based and clinical research that examines the role of metabolism and nutrition in obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease and other major health issues confronting society today.

Among the grants awarded to date, the Atkins Foundation has funded research at prestigious and respected institutions including Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in addition to planning grants to public health organizations and endowed chair positions at universities.

The Atkins Foundation is governed by a board of directors under the stewardship of the National Philanthropic Trust, an independent public charity that manages more than $500 million in charitable assets and has disbursed more than $365 million in grants to charities around the globe.