U medical school dean questioned over service on Pepsi board

The dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School is defending her decision to join the corporate board of PepsiAmericas, even though doctors and public health officials increasingly name Pepsi and other sugary drinks as a major factor in rampant childhood obesity and tooth decay.

Medical School Dean Deborah Powell said it's fair to question why she would join the board of the world's second-largest maker of soft drinks.

"I really thought about that a lot," Powell told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I thought it was an opportunity for me as a health professional to have my voice heard by the leadership of a major beverage distributor with a global reach."

The selection last week of Powell, one of Minnesota's key medical leaders, comes as doctors, dentists and health researchers increasingly link the marketing and heavy drinking of soft drinks to a series of adolescent health problems including obesity and poor dental hygiene.

While PepsiAmericas is expanding its product base to include more bottled water and healthier drinks, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Mountain Dew remain its most important brands, accounting for $3 billion in U.S. sales. That could put Powell in a delicate position, on the board of a company whose success rests on products often reviled by her medical peers.

But Powell believes she can bridge the two worlds.

"The issue of children and adolescents being exposed to carbonated, sugar-filled soft drinks is one that everybody is talking about, and I think (corporate) boards have to reflect about," Powell said. "I think we can do it in a responsible way to ensure that the company is successful and shareholder value is maximized and people take into account responsible stewardship."

Powell said she wouldn't serve on the board of a tobacco company. "But this one, I thought, because I know the leadership, respected the leadership, I thought I could make a difference," she said.

PepsiAmericas Chief Executive Robert Pohlad serves on the dean's board of visitors for the University of Minnesota Medical School. He said wanted Powell on the board because "she's a good thinker, focused on strategy in her own organization."

Pohlad said the company's direction is shifting with consumer attitudes toward commercial beverages.

"The Pepsis and Mountain Dews that have brought us where we are today aren't going to be the ones that provide the growth for tomorrow," he said.

Health researchers have little doubt that soft drinks, bottled and consumed in large portions, have triggered weight, dental and health problems for many children. A recent article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes that besides contributing to weight gain, sugary sodas may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

The study concluded that while more research is needed, there's enough evidence for public policymakers to "discourage consumption of sugary drinks as part of a healthy lifestyle."

One prominent critic questioned how Powell's seat on PepsiAmericas' board will make anything better.

"PepsiAmericas, a contributor to America's obesity problem, clearly wants to affiliate with a physician to enhance its own image," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "What -- other than money -- Dr. Powell expects to gain from such an association is unclear."

Like all outside directors, Powell will be paid in cash and company stock for her board service. That includes a $30,000 annual retainer, $2,000 for each board meeting she attends and $60,000 in stock.

If she can't be the voice she hopes to be on PepsiAmericas' board, Powell said, she will step down.

"This could be a good opportunity for Dr. Powell to help focus on the health of children and providing more healthy beverages," said Mary Story, co-director of the U's Obesity Prevention Center.

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