Governor Greg Abbott has appointed seven individuals to the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee. Ann Shippy, M.D., Commissioner Sid Miller, and Natalie Bachynsky, Ph.D., will serve terms ending September 1, 2027. Padmaja Patel, M.D., Cheryl Sew Hoy, Jaclyn Albin, M.D., and Kathleen Davis, Ph.D., have been appointed for terms expiring September 1, 2029. The committee is responsible for developing nutritional guidelines for Texas residents.
Ann Shippy, M.D. of Austin is a physician and author who leads Ann Shippy MD and Every Life Well. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Functional Medicine and participates in several professional organizations including the Institute for Functional Medicine and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
Sid Miller of Stephenville has served as commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture since 2015. He previously served in the Texas House of Representatives and has an educational background in Vocational Ag Education from Tarleton State University.
Natalie Bachynsky, Ph.D. of Lovelady is a family nurse practitioner who owns Houston County Family Medical Clinic. She serves on various boards such as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and volunteers with The Murray Clinic.
Padmaja Patel, M.D. of Midland is chief medical officer at Nudj Health and president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). She also holds roles in local health alliances and national advisory committees.
Cheryl Sew Hoy of Austin founded Tiny Health after her previous startup was acquired by Walmart Labs. In 2025 her company published research on microbiome interventions for infant eczema and has supported over 100,000 individuals along with more than 3,000 providers.
Jaclyn Albin, M.D. of Bedford is an associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center with involvement in multiple professional associations related to nutrition and medicine education.
Kathleen Davis, Ph.D. of Denton is an associate professor at Texas Woman’s University (TWU) active in organizations focused on nutrition education and dietetics.
The Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott operates as part of the executive branch based primarily in Austin at the State Insurance Building (official website). Under Governor Abbott’s leadership since his election in 2014 (official website), the office oversees statewide services across Texas (official website) including initiatives related to job creation, economic opportunities, education enhancement, protection of individual liberties (official website), parental empowerment in schooling (official website), border security measures such as Operation Lone Star (official website), efforts against child sex trafficking prevention (official website), collaboration with business entities like Southwest Airlines on economic expansions (official website), as well as supporting community certifications through Travel Texas (official website). Governor Abbott was named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2024 (official website).
The appointments are intended to guide nutrition policy development for Texans through this state-level advisory body.
