The University of Colorado nutrition expert who accepted $550,000 from Coca-Cola Co. is stepping down as executive director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.
James Hill announced Friday that he was leaving, effective immediately, but he expects to continue researching causes of obesity.
“It has been an honor serving in this role over the last four years and I look forward to contributing to the continued success of the center,” Hill said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision but I feel the need to devote more time to the Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center and to my own research in weight management and behavior change.”
The center is federally funded but affiliated with the university.
Hill, an internationally known researcher, came under fire last August when The New York Times reported that Coca-Cola helped finance the Global Energy Balance Network he headed.
The soft drink giant donated $1 million to CU, a gift the university returned after the story. The network, which emphasized physical activity over calorie reduction for losing weight, announced it was shutting down late last year.
The Denver Post reported that Hill accepted $550,000 from Coca-Cola, traveled at company expense on speaking engagements and solicited a Coca-Cola job for his son.
A Coca-Cola spokesman said the money paid for honoraria, travel, education activities and weight management research before the network formed. Hill said Coca-Cola’s support let him “present research to other scientists and to encourage physical activity and responsible eating habits,” that he no longer made presentations at the company’s request, and that his son did not accept a Coca-Cola job.
