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TOS Spokesperson Network
The Obesity Society (TOS) has an established network of experts across diverse disciplines who are trained and qualified to serve as TOS spokespersons, listed below. These professionals are available for interviews and commentary on a wide range of topics, including:
Weight Management and Metabolism
Obesity Policy
Specialists address the unique causes, prevention strategies, and treatment considerations for obesity in children and adolescents.
Anti-Obesity Medications
Qualified spokespersons provide insight into current and emerging pharmacologic treatments for obesity and how they work.
Health Impacts of Obesity
Experts explain how obesity increases the risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, and highlight the importance of early intervention to improve long-term health outcomes.
Our spokespersons are committed to helping media professionals clearly understand and accurately communicate complex information to audiences of all kinds.
Request an Interview
To request an interview with a TOS spokesperson, please email [email protected] and include the following details:
- Your name
- Contact information
- Credentials
- Deadline
- Area of expertise or specific spokesperson requested
Vance L. Albaugh
Dr. Albaugh earned his medical degree (MD) from Penn State University College of Medicine and completed his surgical residency at Vanderbilt University. He subsequently completed surgical fellowship training in Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. He serves as Assistant Professor of Metabolic Surgery at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Louisiana State University in the Department of Biological Sciences, as well as Assistant Professor of Surgery at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
Dr. Albaugh is board certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery (DABS) and has also completed the Focused Practice Designation in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (FPMBS). He also serves nationally on the American Board of Surgery as a Metabolic/Bariatric surgeon. In addition to his surgical board certifications, he is board certified in Obesity Medicine by the American Board of Obesity Medicine (DABOM).
Aside from his clinical and surgical work, Dr. Albaugh has completed extensive scientific training, earning his doctorate (PhD) in the physiology of metabolism and body weight regulation while at Penn State. During his surgical residency, he completed a postdoctoral scientific fellowship sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in surgical metabolism and metabolic surgery.
Dr. Albaugh’s research interests include various clinical and preclinical studies working to better understand how food and nutrients are sensed within the gastrointestinal tract and how weight loss treatments (e.g. semaglutide/tirzepatide, Bariatric Surgery) alter the communication between the gut and the brain. The overarching goal of his research program is to better understand the “gut-brain axis”, ultimately leading to the development of new and effective treatments and cures for people with diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic disease. His research has been supported by the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). Dr. Albaugh is the co-author of >100 scientific articles, book chapters, invited editorials, and scientific and surgical reviews.
Dr. Browne
Dr. Browne is a pediatric/adolescent weight management specialist and retired pediatric surgeon. He has worked in the development of treatment algorithms for pediatric obesity for 21 years as Clinical Director of the New Hope Pediatric and Adolescent Weight Management Program at UIC Medical Center in Chicago (2004-2008), Attending physician at The Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio (2008-2009), and founder of the Pediatric Weight Management Program at the Carle Clinic in Urbana (2012-2016). Dr. Browne developed and served as Principal Investigator of FDA IDE #1 to study the adjustable gastric band in adolescents with severe obesity. Dr. Browne is the author and co-author of numerous articles, chapters, and guidelines on the treatment of pediatric obesity. He is a member of the OMA Pediatric Committee, Section on Obesity of the AAP, the Pediatric Committee of The Obesity Society, and the Pediatric Committee of ASMBS. He has worked with the Obesity Action Coalition to develop programs for children with obesity and their families. Dr. Browne is certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (2014). Dr. Browne is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association. Currently, Dr. Browne’s focus is education about the disease of obesity and advocacy for children with obesity and their families.
Peminda K. Cabandugama
Peminda K. Cabandugama, MD, DABOM, is an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, where he serves as the Section Leader of Innovations in the Enterprise Obesity Center (EOC) as well as the Program Director of the Obesity Fellowship. He is also currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Cabandugama is board certified in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, and obesity medicine and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
He is the current Chairman of the Clinical Practice Section of The Obesity Society as well as a member of The Obesity Society Spokesperson Network. He has also previously served in roles at the Obesity Medicine Association as well as at the American Board of Obesity Medicine. He is also a founding member and former vice president of the Midwest Obesity Society.
He is the author of book chapters and multiple papers/abstracts on obesity and endocrinology, including work published by the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, Medical Clinics of North America, Cleveland Clinic Center for Continuing Education and Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings.
Dr Cabandugama has also been featured on multiple media outlets for his medical opinion on Obesity and Endocrinology including CNN/ABC/NBC/Fox News and its affiliates, Medscape, Nature, JAMA, Vogue, Parade, Health, USAToday, Fortune, Cleveland Clinic News, Healthline, AARP, Verywellhealth, SiriusXM-Doctor Radio, WebMD, Everyday Health and Medical Economics.
He also currently serves as a content and peer reviewer for the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, Elsevier and the Cureus Journal of Medical Science.
Marc-Andre Cornier
Dr. Cornier is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolic Diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina, and currently serves as President of The Obesity Society (TOS). He recently transitioned from the University of Colorado, where he had been on faculty since 2001. During his time there, he served as the Medical Director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center clinic, overseeing a large multidisciplinary weight loss program offering a range of treatment options. At MUSC, Dr. Cornier is focused on expanding weight loss services while continuing to see patients, primarily managing individuals with cardiometabolic disorders such as diabetes, lipid disorders, and obesity.
He has been continuously funded by the NIH, ADA, and VA for over 18 years to study the complex regulation of food intake, body weight, and metabolism using a variety of research tools, including brain imaging. Dr. Cornier also highly values his role as an educator and mentor.
Richele Corrado
Richele Corrado, a former Navy physician, is a board-certified Internist and Obesity Medicine Specialist at Revolution Medicine, Health & Fitness. She is the former Director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Program and Internal Medicine Residency Associate Program Director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. She has been instrumental in expanding education and access to treatment within the Department of Defense (DoD), including advocating for active-duty service members’ access to obesity medications. She co-leads the 2025 VA/DoD Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline update and serves on The Obesity Society’s Policy and Advocacy Committee as well as the Obesity Medicine Association Obesity Algorithm Workgroup and Clinician in Training Education Committee. She has delivered over 40 regional, national, and international presentations and developed obesity and leadership curricula for providers and trainees nationwide. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including Walter Reed’s 2023 Department of Medicine Civilian Provider of the Year, Associate Master Clinician, and Walter Reed’s 2022 Graduate Medical Education Faculty Mentor of the Year. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University where she teaches medical and nursing students about obesity, and she is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Reema Dbouk
Reema Dbouk, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine where she helped to establish the Emory Lifestyle and Weight Management Clinic. Dr. Dbouk teaches medical students, residents, and colleagues on the management of obesity, emphasizing both the science of treatment and the importance of reducing weight stigma in healthcare. She is deeply passionate about promoting a weight-inclusive, patient-centered approach that addresses the social, cultural, and psychological factors influencing health. Her scholarly interests bridge clinical medicine and innovation. Dr. Dbouk is engaged in research on the use of artificial intelligence tools in healthcare, with a focus on strategies to reduce clinician burnout, streamline clinical workflows, and improve patient care delivery.
Florencia Halpren
Dr. Florencia Halperin is the Chief Medical Officer at Form Health, a virtual national clinic dedicated to expanding access to high-quality evidence-based obesity care. Dr. Halperin completed medical school and clinical training in endocrinology at Harvard Medical School. She co-founded and served as Co-Director of the Brigham and Women’s Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery, and she was Chief of Endocrinology at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, both of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Halperin has been the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of her dedication to teaching and to patient care, including Castle Connolly America’s Top Doctors and the Schwartz Center Award for Compassionate Care. In 2019, Dr. Halperin joined Form Health to lead the creation of a comprehensive obesity medicine service delivered by telehealth. She currently leads an expert clinical team delivering evidence-based multi-disciplinary care for obesity and metabolic disease in all 50 states.
Wayne Ho
Dr. Wayne Ho is an internal medicine and obesity specialist in clinical practice for 20 years, a clinical investigator specializing in diabetes and obesity, and a professor in medical education at the Keck School of Medicine. He is passionate about advocating for improved access to high quality care and advancing public health through education and policy changes.
Robert Homer
Robert M. Homer, M.D., Ph.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist and diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine who integrates metabolic and mental health care in his Boca Raton practice. He delivers comprehensive weight management for adults with psychiatric comorbidities, combining evidence-based pharmacotherapy with structured coaching grounded in motivational interviewing and CBT-informed skills, alongside personalized nutrition, movement, sleep, and relapse-prevention plans. Dr. Homer is an ACE Certified Health Coach and holds NASM credentials as a Certified Personal Trainer, Weight Loss Specialist, and Certified Nutrition Coach, as well as a Strong Education Certified Adaptive Trainer. With more than two decades in outpatient psychiatry—and prior certification in addiction medicine—he brings systems-level experience from hospital ethics committees and consultation-liaison roles. His publications and presentations span obesity care pathways, co-occurring disorders, and neurocognitive models, underscoring a patient-centered, measurable, and stigma-free approach to sustainable weight and mental health outcomes.
Sibylle Kranz
Dr. Sibylle Kranz, RDN is Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Adjunct Associate Professor in Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia. She is also a Fellow of The Obesity Society. She teaches nutrition and lifecycle nutrition and conducts research in child nutrition, with special focus on improvement of diet quality in children to prevent chronic diseases, especially obesity. She is the Director of the Diet and Nutrition Laboratory, a research unit featuring a metabolic kitchen, feeding- and exercise area, to develop pre-defined study foods and meals, conduct on-site or remote feeding trials, and assess anthropometric data. Her research includes clinical trials, observational studies, and community participatory studies to improve school nutrition as well as analysis of national datasets. Most recently, she served as subject expert on the committee on “The role of Seafood for Child Growth and Development” of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and as content reviewer for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) 2025-2030 report. She collaborates with experts from various disciplines in the US, Germany, China and the United Kingdom. Her research is reflected in 80 peer previewed publications and more than 350 presentations and posters at national and international conferences.
Becca Krukowski
Ted Kyle
Ted Kyle is a pharmacist and healthcare innovator living in Pittsburgh. He’s also a tireless advocate for people living with obesity. His widely-read daily commentary, published at Conscienhealth.org, reaches a diverse audience of thought leaders in health and obesity.
Travis Masterson
Dr. Travis Masterson is the Director of the Health, Ingestive Behavior, and Technology Laboratory and an assistant professor of ingestive behavior in the Nutritional Sciences department at The Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on food cue reactivity, food noise, and how our food environment shapes our food choices and eating behaviors. His research particularly focuses on external cues such as digital food and beverage marketing. He uses a variety of novel technologies and methodologies in his work including, fMRI, immersive virtual reality (iVR), and ecological momentary assessment (EMA).
Jennifer Nasser
Christina Nguyen
Dr. Christina Nguyen is double board-certified in family Medicine and obesity Medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia.
Dr. Nguyen joined Northeast Georgia Physicians Group in 2007, where she spent 15 years practicing family medicine before dedicating her career exclusively to obesity medicine in 2022. From 2021 to 2025, she served as the Medical Director of Obesity Medicine at Northeast Georgia Health System.
After 18 years with the organization, Dr. Nguyen transitioned to Knownwell, a healthcare company co-founded by Dr. Angela Fitch that provides weight-inclusive, evidence-based care for individuals with obesity and metabolic health conditions.
Dr. Nguyen is actively involved in national advocacy efforts, serving on the Advocacy Committees for both The Obesity Society (TOS) and the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA). She resides in Georgia with her husband, a bariatric surgeon, and their four children.
Tracy Norfleet
Dr. Tracy Norfleet is a triple board-certified physician in Internal Medicine, Obesity Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine. She earned her Doctor of Medicine from LSU Medical School, completed her Internal Medicine residency at LSU Health Sciences Center, and obtained her MBA from Webster University. Dr. Norfleet serves as Regional Physician Leader for a large medical group in St. Louis, where she was named 2018 Physician of the Year.
As founder of Weight Liberation, she empowers individuals to achieve their unique health goals and helps community members advocate for themselves and their health in healthcare settings. A TEDx speaker, Dr. Norfleet delivered her talk “Breaking Weight Bias in Healthcare and Society,” sharing how her personal journey with weight became the foundation for transforming patient care through compassionate, thoughtful communication.
Dr. Norfleet is a member of The Obesity Society, the Obesity Medicine Association, the Obesity Action Coalition, and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, serving on various committees within the Obesity Medicine Association and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Marsha Novick
Dr. Marsha Novick is the Medical Director of Weight Management & Wellness Online, a private weight loss practice serving adults and children in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, DC, and Virginia (www.weightwellnessonline.com). She is board-certified in family medicine and obesity medicine, and is a national expert in the field. Prior to private practice in 2023, she was the Director of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center’s Healthy Weight Program for Children and Teens. She has over 20 years of experience and has treated thousands of children and adults with weight problems.
Dr. Novick serves as a board member of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and writes questions for their board certification exam. She is a national lecturer on obesity and currently serves on The Obesity Society’s Communications Committee, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Obesity, and the Pennsylvania Obesity Advocacy Group. Dr. Novick has collaborated with national research experts in the field and has published over 20 scientific papers on obesity.
Babak Orandi
Babak Orandi is an abdominal transplant surgeon, obesity medicine specialist, and NIH-funded researcher at NYU Langone, where he is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Medicine and also the founding director of the PeriOperative Weight Evaluation and Reduction (POWER) Clinic, which is focused on helping patients lose weight to facilitate solid organ transplant and living donation. He completed a combined Bachelors/MD program at the University of Michigan, where he graduated with distinction in research and completed a master’s in clinical investigation. He did his general surgery residency and PhD in clinical investigation at Johns Hopkins, followed by an abdominal transplant surgery fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He also completed an obesity medicine fellowship at Weill Cornell. He has published >130 peer-reviewed papers, including in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, BMJ, and the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Robyn Pashby
Dr. Robyn Pashby is a licensed clinical health psychologist, an author, speaker and an internationally recognized expert in the psychological and behavioral treatment of obesity and obesity-related chronic health conditions. As the founder of Health Psychology Partners, she leads a team specializing in the complex intersection of mental health, and obesity.
With nearly two decades of experience, Dr. Pashby has contributed extensively to the field through clinical practice, research, and leadership. She serves on key national committees for The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, The Endocrine Society, and the American Diabetes Association. She is also a Research Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, where she helps shape the future of clinical health psychology. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs.
Jonathan Purnell
Dr. Purnell is a Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, with board certification in both Endocrinology and Obesity Medicine. He also serves as a Professor at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute at OHSU and is the Vice President of The Obesity Society (TOS). For more than 20 years, Dr. Purnell has practiced obesity medicine within preventive cardiology clinics, integrating these therapies to optimize patient health.
His research focuses on translational studies in obesity and its related conditions, particularly investigating the mechanisms underlying the efficacy and health benefits of metabolic-bariatric surgery.
Dr. Purnell recently served as Co-Chair of The Obesity Society’s Education Committee, where he helped develop an obesity curriculum for medical schools. He also contributed to the creation of the Foundations course, designed for primary care providers beginning to incorporate obesity medicine into their practices, and led efforts on the Obesity Medicine board review course.
Ivania Rizo
Dr. Ivania Rizo is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Weight Management at Boston University School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, where she also completed her internal medicine residency. She then pursued a fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Rizo is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, and Obesity Medicine. She serves as the Director of Obesity Medicine at Boston Medical Center, Co-Clinical Director of Endocrinology, and as the Clinical Co-Lead for Equity in Diabetes within the Health Equity Accelerator. Her clinical and research interests focus on obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders, with an emphasis on improving equitable access to care.
K. Robinson
Dr. Robinson is an Assistant Professor of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Iowa. She completed her MD/PhD at the University of Wisconsin in 2016. Her PhD work in the History of Medicine, Science and Technology examined the history of the Fat Acceptance Movement and the consequences of medicalizing obesity. She completed her Internal Medicine training and Endocrinology Fellowship at the University of Iowa. To further her knowledge of obesity from a multi-faceted perspective, she became a Diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Her research examines a wide range of topics in obesity and endocrinology, including patient experiences of weight stigma in healthcare, clinical outcomes in diabetes and weight management clinics, and the differential health risks conferred by visceral and subcutaneous adiposity. She provides clinical care to patients with obesity, diabetes, and other endocrine conditions at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA. As co-chair of the Obesity Society’s Policy and Advocacy Committee, she is passionate about preventing obesity, improving access to obesity care, and reducing weight stigma.
Renee Rogers
Dr. Renee Rogers is an expert in developing bio-behavioral healthy lifestyle interventions for obesity treatment with special focus on physical activity and relevant strategies to promote long-term success. She has worked in weight management and physical activity research and programming for 20+ years playing many professional roles that include working as an instructor, practitioner, program director, researcher, designer, and consultant and strategist to large corporations. She blends her background in theater and production with her formal academic training in Exercise Physiology, Behavior Change, and Weight Management to develop and implement innovative health promotion, physical activity, and weight management initiatives that encourage well-being, healthy lifestyle engagement, and person-centered approaches. Her current work is focused on the body composition, tissue quality and function, and lifestyle factors related to contemporary obesity treatments and pharmacotherapy. Dr. Rogers also serves in leadership and committee roles for the American College of Sports Medicine and The Obesity Society.
Katherine H. Saunders
Dr. Katherine H. Saunders is a physician innovator and an internationally recognized expert in Obesity Medicine. Dr. Saunders co-founded FlyteHealth, a software and clinical services company that provides evidence-based, cost-effective cardiometabolic treatment to employers and health systems throughout the United States.
Dr. Saunders received her undergraduate degree Phi Beta Kappa/Summa Cum Laude from Dartmouth College and her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College, where she became a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, where she served as ambulatory chief resident. Dr. Saunders was the first clinical fellow in Obesity Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and one of the first Obesity Medicine fellows in the country. Dr. Saunders is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Dr. Saunders’ TED talk, “Why your body fights weight loss,” has encouraged half a million individuals to think differently about obesity. Dr. Saunders hosts the Weight Matters podcast with Dr. Louis Aronne, and she regularly speaks at international conferences. Dr. Saunders has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and she has been featured in national media outlets, including The Washington Post, Newsweek, Science, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Bloomberg, Forbes, Politico, The Atlantic, Associated Press, Women’s Health, and USA Today. Dr. Saunders is a regular guest on a variety of podcasts, radio shows, and TV shows, including PBS NewsHour and ABC’s News LIVE, Good Morning America, Live News Spotlight, and Nightline.
Dr. Saunders is a member of Weill Cornell Medicine’s voluntary faculty. She founded the Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Association Board of Directors’ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee, and she sits on the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Fellows’ Committee for Research and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Saunders is also the chair of The Obesity Society’s Communications Committee and a member of the American Diabetes Association of New York’s Community Leadership Board.
Dr. Saunders’ recent awards and recognition include the Women at Weill Investment Competition, Brown Brothers Harriman’s 22 Women to Watch in 2022, Medika Life’s Top 30 Influencers Transforming Wellness in 2023, Health Innovators’ Top Health Innovators to Watch in 2023, and New York Super Doctors 2023.
Melissa Shoemaker
Melissa Shoemaker, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a board-certified specialist in Obesity Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, and Preventive Medicine. She provides comprehensive, evidence-based care in the university’s multidisciplinary Weight Wellness Clinic, integrating cutting-edge research to improve cardiometabolic health and long-term outcomes.
With a background spanning clinical medicine, public health, and technology, Dr. Shoemaker is passionate about advancing public understanding of obesity as a chronic disease. She is active in education, mentorship, and community outreach, helping bridge the gap between scientific evidence and real-world practice to empower both patients and professionals in achieving sustainable health.
G. Srivastava
Dr. Gitanjali Srivastava, MD, a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSOM), is a dual-board adult and pediatric obesity medicine physician-scientist. As the Chief/Medical Director of Obesity Medicine and Founding Program Director of the Obesity Medicine Fellowship at VUSOM, she spearheads clinical excellence, innovation, and trailblazing strategic leadership. As Co-Director of the Vanderbilt Weight Loss Clinics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Dr. Srivastava combines compassionate care with cutting-edge research. Board-certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics, she is a global authority in obesity medicine. Dr. Srivastava is an internationally recognized obesity medicine educator, researcher, and principal investigator of leading anti-obesity pharmacotherapy clinical trials. Her impactful publications span adolescent pharmacotherapy, outcomes research, and complex obesity cases, including transplant and post-operative weight regain patients. Dr. Srivastava’s innovative insights drive clinical progress. Dr. Srivastava earned her MD at Louisiana State University and completed fellowship training at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, with residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She completed her Master’s in Engineering in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning from the University of Illinois in 2026.
Jacqueline M. Stephens
Dr. Stephens is the Claude B. Pennington, Jr. Endowed Chair in Biomedical Research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, where she leads an active research lab in Adipocyte Biology. She is a Professor in Biological Sciences and teaches an Endocrinology course each year at Louisiana State University. Dr. Stephens is also the President-Elect of The Obesity Society (TOS) and is deeply committed to service and mentoring of students and junior faculty.
She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from East Carolina University School of Medicine and is dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of obesity with rigor and transparency. Dr. Stephens is also a strong advocate for reducing weight stigma and promoting the benefits of exercise and healthy living practices.
John Thyfault
Dr. John Thyfault is a professor at KUMC, where his research examines how exercise and aerobic capacity can lower the risk of hepatic steatosis and type 2 diabetes. He has authored over 200 publications and secured several significant NIH and VA grants to support his laboratory. Recognized internationally for his expertise, his research emphasizes the vital role of daily movement in metabolic health. Furthermore, he leads metabolism-focused research at KUMC, serving as the director of the KU Diabetes Institute and co-director of the Kansas Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, supported by a $12 million NIH Center grant.
Chelsea Yost
Chelsea Yost is an Obesity Medicine Specialist at Tampa General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of South Florida Morsani School of Medicine. She is an internist by training and is dual-boarded in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. She is an active member on several national committees including The Obesity Society’s Policy and Advocacy Committee. She recently founded and currently Chairs the Florida Obesity Society Advocacy Committee.
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