New Soul Participation

Enrollment is currently closed for both our NEW Soul study and NEW Soul @ Rare Variety study. If you would like to be notified about participating in our future studies, please complete this form, and if we have any studies in the future for which you may qualify, someone will reach out to you.

Improving your diet can have a significant impact on your health. Many nutrition studies in the past have not included African American participants. For this study, we are only recruiting African American adults from the Midlands community of South Carolina. We hope to learn from you too so we can offer the NEW Soul program in communities across the southeast.

This study is a 9-month intervention testing the delivery of a modified and condensed NEW Soul program led by a member of the community. The study will also examine e how a plant-based, soul food diet may help improve nutrition in the African American community, as well as help with weight loss. The study includes:

12 online (via Zoom) nutrition and cooking classes
Weekly voucher for a meal from Rare Variety Café to sample plant-based meals
Group support
Up to $50 in financial compensation
Recipes and more

Do I qualify?

Participants must meet the following criteria in order to participate:

Self-identify as African American
Be between the ages of 18-65 years
Body Mass Index between 25-49.9 kg/m2
Be able to travel weekly to Rare Variety Café in Columbia, SC (4622 N. Main Street, Columbia, SC) for 12 weeks
Be able to attend 3 assessment visits
Have a smartphone, tablet, or computer with internet access and ability to access the Zoom videoconferencing platform with video and audio capabilities
Be available Tuesday evenings from 6:00-7:30pm for 12 weeks
Not currently participating in the NEW Soul study or living in the same household as somebody who is
Not currently following a vegan or vegetarian diet

Have other questions?

Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to learn more about participation in the study.

Study Benefits

Participating in our 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.