Member Updates | April 2019

Upcoming Obesity Short Courses

Please apply ASAP, as spaces are limited. Women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The mathematical sciences including engineering, statistics, computer science, physics, econometrics, psychometrics, epidemiology, and mathematics qua mathematics are increasingly being applied to advance our understanding of the causes, consequences, and alleviation of obesity.  This course will expose researchers from the mathematical sciences and obesity to the language and methodology at the interface of both disciplines and guide early investigators interested in conducting research at the interface of the mathematical sciences in obesity on the next career step.

Identifying causal relations among variables is fundamental to science. Obesity is a major problem for which much progress in understanding, treatment, and prevention remains to be made. Understanding which social and behavioral factors cause variations in adiposity is vital to producing, evaluating, and selecting intervention and prevention strategies. This course will provide rigorous exposure to the key fundamental principles underlying a broad array of techniques and experience in applying those principles and techniques through guided discussion of real examples in obesity research.

Five Brand New SCOPE Modules Now Available

World Obesity has announced that five brand new modules are available on the SCOPE E-Learning platform. Authored by leading experts, the new modules cover important and overlooked aspects of obesity management:

• Working with Individuals to Change Eating Habits
• Male-Specific Complications of Obesity
• Intellectual Disability and Obesity
• Binge Eating Disorder
• Understanding Patient Perspectives on Obesity

 All five modules are available free of charge in our updated, mobile-friendly format. The courses can be accessed in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, and all translations feature voiceovers from native speakers.

Learn more about the new modules and for links to access them via SCOPE E-learning!

Obesity Action Coalition’s Weight of the World Campaign

No one in the world is left unaffected by the disease of obesity, yet many times people living with obesity feel isolated or alone. WeightOfTheWorld.com was created to be a resource for sharing and viewing our stories about our journeys with weight.
 
Sharing your views on treatments, celebrating patient success, the struggles of dealing with set-backs are just a few examples of stories that can have a very positive affect on someone and their journey. Stories are powerful. Stories are honest. Stories are real. When you hear and see someone share their experiences you can better connect and relate to them.
 
How do you share your own story? It is simple! Visit WeightOfTheWorld.com where you can read tips on what to talk about, gain inspiration by viewing stories from others who have shared and then film your own from anywhere you feel comfortable! The video library is stored on a safe, secure platform that is accessible by a log-in.
 
We hope you find WeightOfTheWorld.com to be a useful resource and that you help it continue to grow by sharing your story today.

Upcoming ASN Webinar: How to Fund and Implement ADOPT Core Measures in Your Adult Weight Loss Trial

Thursday, May 9 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM EDT | REGISTER

Join the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) for a free webinar organized in partnership with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to introduce obesity researchers to the Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict Obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project.  ADOPT provides a framework for how obesity researchers can generate the evidence base needed to guide the development of individually tailored and potentially more effective strategies for the treatment of obesity.  Presentations will highlight use of the ADOPT core measures in an ongoing weight loss clinical trial and provide guidance on how to get involved with ADOPT, including funding opportunities. Learn more and register.

ADOPT investigators will also conduct a live workshop on June 8 at 11 AM in Baltimore, MD during Nutrition 2019. Click here for more Nutrition 2019 details.

UPDATE: Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act

The PHIT bill (Personal Health Investment Today) would encourage Americans to be physically active by allowing them to pay a wide variety of physical activity related costs from their Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA). The bill passed the House in July of 2018 but did not get Senate approval. PHIT was re-introduced in both the House (H.R.1679) and the Senate (S.680) in March of 2019. John Thune (R-SD) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) were the lead sponsors in the Senate. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) introduced the bill in the House. The legislation has seven co-sponsors in the Senate. In all, 287 of 445 of returning members of Congress have supported PHIT in the past including 24 of the 36 members of the key House Ways and Means Committee.

For more information about PHIT bill, go to the IHRSA website.

CDC’s Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD) Project 3.0

With funding from the Healthy Kids Act of 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is funding five recipients through the research funding opportunity “Packaging and Spreading Proven Pediatric Weight Management Interventions for Use by Low-Income Families,” the third Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD 3.0) project. CORD 3.0 builds on prior research demonstration projects that implemented community-based models for reducing obesity among children from lower-income families.

CORD 3.0 funds five recipients at a total of $12.5 million over five years:

• Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
  Massachusetts General Hospital CORD 3.0 will package together two childhood obesity interventions – Connect for Health and the Mass in Motion Kids Healthy Weight Clinic – in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight. Massachusetts General Hospital will work with three community-based health centers in Mississippi to ensure the packaged programs can be effective and sustainable in primary care settings where the majority of patients use Medicaid, and with substantially high prevalence of obesity.
   
• Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI
  The Miriam Hospital CORD 3.0 will prepare and evaluate the JOIN for ME program for use in two different settings: the first in the housing authority and the second in patient-centered medical home sites. The JOIN for ME program is a child weight management intervention that can be used in many community settings. JOIN for ME includes strong parental involvement and has found meaningful reductions in body mass index in children 6-12 years of age.
   
• Stanford University, Stanford, CA
  Stanford University CORD 3.0 will use technology, design, behavioral theory, and biomedical business innovation strategies to prepare the Stanford Pediatric Weight Control Program (SPWCP) to reach children throughout the U.S. SPWCP is a family-based group program to address childhood obesity. Stanford University will evaluate the effectiveness of this program in four local organizations serving low-income families.
   
• University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
  University of Nebraska CORD 3.0 will build on their previous work that adapted the Building Healthy Families (BHF) program to a micropolitan area of 10,000 to 50,000 residents. In the past BHF researchers saw significant decreases in child BMI. University of Nebraska CORD 3.0 will package BHF for successful adaptation to rural communities and other micropolitan areas to decrease the number of adults and children with obesity.
   
• Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
  Washington University CORD 3.0 will package and evaluate the evidence-based Family-based Behavioral Treatment (FBT) for use in diverse primary care settings, such as in urban and rural communities, and with families with lower-income. FBT is a proven behavioral program that works with both children and parents. Research indicates that FBT can reduce child BMI, and the average parent loses about 20 pounds during treatment. This CORD 3.0 project will test whether FBT can be cost-effective and sustainable when used in diverse primary care settings.

Visit the CORD website to learn more.

ASMBS Weekend Registration Open

ASMBS Weekend,June 20-22, 2019, is comprised of three full days of specialized surgical and integrated health courses in an intimate setting. This clinical symposium is designed for all professions involved in obesity prevention, treatment, and research. This year’s meeting is in Chicago and features a special focus in robotics in bariatrics. Register online today.

Register for OAC's Your Weight Matters Convention

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is excited to announce that registration is now open for the 8th Annual Your Weight Matters Convention & EXPO, taking place August 1-3 in Tampa, along the award-winning Tampa Riverwalk!

With topics such as, “What the Science Tells Us about Weight-loss, Weight Gain and Weight Maintenance,” “Exercise – How Much does it Really Take?” and much more, the YWM2019 Program Agenda is sure to captivate all those in attendance.

Single-day registration starts as low as just $50/day and Full Convention registration starts at just $105. Make sure to register by May 31^st to access these Early-bird rates!

This year’s Convention has been approved to offer up to 18 CE credits for nurses and some healthcare professionals. Single-day registration with CE credits starts as low as $75/day and Full Convention registration with CE credits starts at $155/day.

To learn more or register, please visit: www.YWMConvention.com.

ACPM Annual Conference: Prevention 2019

The American College of Preventive Medicine will be hosting their annual conference in Pittsburgh, May 20-23rd. To kick off the conference, they will be hosting a series of Learning Institutes – which are hands on, in depth, 3.5 hours of CME/MOC experiential learning opportunities that provide case study driven education that can be applied in your work setting immediately. This year’s meeting will feature a meeting track dedicated to 'Lifestyle Medicine and Precision Public Health,' in addition to the hands-on learning institutes on culinary medicine, diabetes prevention and much more. Discounted registration rates for the conference will be available through May 1. Prevention 2019 will be held May 20-23 in Pittsburgh, PA. REGISTER NOW!

National Association of Social Workers 2019 Virtual Forum: Trauma Through the Social Work Lens

June 19-20, 2019

The personal response to traumatic events widely varies, some deep rooted and hard to heal. Presenters will offer a deeper understanding of the way in which past traumas impact a client’s current level of functioning and will provide tools to recognize, assess and treat trauma. The full agenda and registration are available at https://virtualforum.socialworkers.org/.

Report: A Cross-disciplinary Seminar Series Surrounding Added Sugar and Low-calorie Sweetener Consumption

This report presents a synopsis of a three‐part, cross‐sector, seminar series held at the George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC from February–April, 2018. The overarching goal of the seminar series was to provide a neutral forum for diverse stakeholders to discuss and critically evaluate approaches to address added sugar intake, with a key focus on the role of low‐calorie sweeteners (LCS).